05 April 2024 Guimaras. The fast-moving retail price of rice consistently pushed up Guimaras’ food inflation in five consecutive months starting November of 2023, reaching 10.8% in March 2024, based on the latest price statistics released by the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA).

The price of rice in Guimaras exhibited unpredictable fluctuations over the past 14 months. It was observed that starting from the second month of Q4 2023, there was a consistent upward trend in the rate of change in the prices, leading to a notable spike until March 2024, at a high of 33.8% inflation.

In the Cereals and cereal products commodity group with 26.1% inflation, rice held the highest proportion of 68.7% in the inflation pattern and got the most substantial contribution of 75.5%, to the Food inflation for Guimaras in March 2024.

The 20.0% inflation rate of meat and other products of slaughtered land animals accounted for the second-highest share at 21.2% in the trend, contributing the second-largest proportion at 19.8%, to the March food inflation.

“Vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas, and pulses experienced a -1.9% inflation rate, securing the third position among the top 3 commodity groups causing inflation trend of 9.6%. Meanwhile, the third-largest contribution came from the Ready-made food and other food products, which had an 11.4% inflation rate, showing a 3.0% contribution,” Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare said.

The data also revealed that food inflation for low-income households rose to 11.8% in March from the 9.6% in February 2024.

Antique and Guimaras with 10.8% food inflation each, registered the highest rate among the six provinces of the Western Visayas (WV) region, followed closely by Aklan with 6.9%.

“Negros Occidental reported the lowest food inflation in WV, recording a 3.7% rate, trailed by Capiz and Iloilo with a food inflation rate of 4.6% and 6.6%, respectively,” Losare said