The Department of Agriculture (DA) has intensified its Christmas season operations against errant vendors who disregard the agency’s Maximum Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for pork and onions.

Yesterday, the department issued show-cause orders to several vendors at Manila’s Obrero Market, directing them to explain why they were selling goods above the MSRP — a move the DA said aims to curb profiteering and protect consumers.

Show-cause orders

“This is just the first of several show-cause orders we will issue in the coming days,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. “We know the market prices of imported onions, and our MSRP provides fair returns to sellers. The same applies to pork — our price ceilings ensure that every player in the value chain earns a reasonable income.”

The DA earlier set a price ceiling for both red and white onions at P120/kg on 1 December, while the MSRP for pork took effect a few days later on 5 December. For pork, the MSRP is P370 per kilo for liempo and P330 per kilo for pigue or kasim.

“There may be some tightness in supply, but that’s no excuse for runaway prices. At current market levels, it already smacks of profiteering,” Tiu Laurel said.

Protection from soaring holiday-season prices

The price ceilings were enacted to protect households from soaring holiday-season prices — which had spiked to as high as P300 per kilo for onions and P480 per kilo for pork liempo. The DA said the current MSRPs balance consumer protection with farmer profitability, which it will continue to monitor in coordination with the Philippine National Police.

The Department also clarified that the enforcement drive is not limited to retailers, noting that distributors are likewise under scrutiny to prevent price inflation caused by profiteering or anti-competitive practices such as cartelization.

Inflation for November was reported at 1.5 percent, below the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ target range of 2 to 4 percent — primarily due to lower food and beverage prices. Tiu Laurel reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to keeping food prices stable this holiday season.

“The DA has taken steps in recent weeks to ensure prices remain stable, if not lower, especially during the Christmas season when demand surges and price pressures intensify,” he said.