The Department of Agriculture (DA) warned about the imposition of the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for garlic if its importers continue to make its prices unreasonable for consumers.

During the joint monitoring of the DA and the Department of Trade and Industry at the Nepa Q-Mart in Quezon City on Monday, Agriculture Secretary Francis Tiu Laurel said he was disappointed upon seeing that the price of garlic is now at P140 per kilo.

“I think the price should be P100 to P110 only. From what I heard, garlic is only sold at a retail price of P80. If it’s being sold at P140, then that’s profiteering. If they do not stop that, then we will not think twice about imposing an MSRP,” Tiu Laurel said in Filipino.

He said the DA will set a meeting with garlic stakeholders to address the issue this week.

Production issues bared

The DA chief further said that local farmers are now having issues with production, especially since most garlic-producing provinces experience high temperatures due to the summer season.

“Garlic thrives at a lower temperature. Another thing is that our garlic planting materials are the small ones, considered as premium. Unlike the garlic that is being sold in the wet markets, they are imported from China, which is bigger. We import about 95 percent of our garlic in China. Raffy Ayeng