10 April 2025– Guimaras. Food inflation in Guimaras dropped below zero for the first time in a year, with rates falling to -0.9% for all income households and -0.2% for low-income in March 2025, marking a sharp reversal from the double-digits high seen in mid-2024, based on the to the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The downtrend was driven primarily by declining prices in major food staples. Cereals and cereal products particularly rice and corn, posted steep price drops in the low-income and all-income groups.

“Inflation among food commodity items of low-income households, rice inflation slowed further to -4.6%, while oils and fats also recorded a significant drop at -6.5%, contributing to the overall decline,” Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare said.

“Similarly, all income households noted rice inflation at -4.5% and cereals at -4.4%, making these the top contributors to the negative trend,” Losare added.

Moreover, commodity prices in select groups such as fish and seafood, milk and dairy, and fruits and nuts continued to rise.

PSO Losare also expounded that for all income households, the top three contributors to the overall March 2025 food inflation were cereals and cereal products, which contributed 117.2% or -1.05 percentage points, followed by fish and other seafood that imparted 80.7% or -0.73 points, and fruits and nuts chipping in 19.9% or -0.19 points.

“For the bottom 30% income households, the top contributors to the overall March food inflation were cereals and cereal products, which supplied 730.5% or at -1.46 percentage points, followed by fruits and nuts, contributing 78.5% or -0.16 percentage points, and oils and fats, splitting 53.0% or -0.11 percentage points,” Losare said.

Food inflation in Western Visayas continued its downward trajectory in March 2025, with most provinces and highly urbanized cities (HUCs) recording lower or negative inflation rates.

Among the provinces, Antique noted the sharpest decline, posting -1.7%, followed by Guimaras at -0.9% and Aklan at -0.8%. These provinces posted food prices dropped for two consecutive months.

In contrast, Bacolod City posted a modest increase at 1.6%, while Capiz and Iloilo City both recorded 4.1%, and Iloilo Province logged 4.4%, Negros Occidental also recorded a slight uptick to 2.2%