More chilis seen as key taming price spikes — DA

More chilis seen as key taming price spikes — DA | Daily Tribune

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is moving to stabilize chili pepper supply in 2026 as recurring price spikes — driven largely by weather disruptions — continue to pressure consumers and food businesses.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the DA is focusing on increasing chili production, improving data-driven planning, and expanding climate-resilient farming to reduce sharp price swings that typically occur during the rainy and typhoon seasons.

Chili pepper prices have long been volatile, with spikes often recorded when heavy rains and storms damage crops and disrupt supply.

To date, the price of red chilis in wet markets is P700 per kilo.

Before this, in September 2025, when retail prices of siling labuyo reached as high as P800 per kilo following successive weather disturbances, more than twice the usual cost of P200-300 during periods of relative stability.

Tiu Laurel said the DA’s immediate task is to establish accurate baseline data to guide production planning.

“We need to know how much we consume, how much we produce, and where the gaps are,” he said, adding that these figures will determine how many hectares should be planted and how quickly output can be scaled up.

Based on early assessments, the DA said chili peppers are not limited to traditional producing regions such as Bicol and can be grown in most parts of the country. As a result, chili has been identified as a priority crop for 2026 under the DA’s High Value Crops program, alongside munggo (mung beans), to moderate prices and improve supply stability.

Weather-related damage remains the sector’s biggest challenge. “Prices go up because crops are damaged by rain,” Tiu Laurel said, underscoring the need for protected cultivation.

To address this, the DA is promoting the use of greenhouses built with local materials and typhoon-resistant structures designed to shield crops from flooding and prolonged rainfall.

These measures are intended to stabilize supply even during peak storm periods.

The department is also expanding access to clean and quality planting materials — covering siling labuyo, siling pansigang, and grafted bell peppers — through the Gulayan sa Bayan program.

The initiative supports agri-entrepreneurship in 1,370 municipalities by encouraging commercial high-value crop farming and basic processing to help ease food inflation.

From a market perspective, the DA said more stable chili output would help temper price volatility for households as well as for restaurants, retailers, and food processors.

To reinforce transparency, Tiu Laurel said the DA will begin releasing weekly public updates on prices and supply starting in January.

While weather disruptions may still occur, the department’s goal is to reduce the frequency and severity of extreme price spikes.

Tiu Laurel said growing more chili, protecting crops from extreme weather, and expanding year-round production will be key to keeping prices manageable in the years ahead.