BACOLOD City – Weather disturbances in Luzon have stoked up prices of flowers as this capital city observed All Saints’ Day on Thursday and All Souls’ Day on Friday, according to vendors.
Flower sellers at the public plaza said the prices have gone high since Oct. 15.
The vendors get their supply from typhoon-affected areas in Luzon. One of them, Small Esquilla, nevertheless said they had enough stocks for undas.
Prices went up P5 to P15 per stem for Malaysian mums, chrysanthemums, anthuriums, and glandulas.
Esquilla said these flowers are the most in-demand during the two-day undas.
The cost of Malaysian mums has increased to P30 each from the previous P20, while anthuriums cost P15 to P40 per stem from only P10 to P35 before.
Chrysanthemums and glandulas were bought at P20 and P35 per stem, respectively, from the previous P15 and P30 per stem.
The flower baskets, meanwhile, cost P100 to P1,500 depending on the size.
According to Espquilla, the prices might still increase if costs in source-markets also rise.
Higher transport costs will also translate into higher prices, she added.
Around 250 seasonal vendors have secured special permits from the city government to sell flowers in Bacolod from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2.
Executive Assistant Ernesto Pineda, head of the Market Coordinating and Monitoring Task Force, said vendors paid P200 for the special permit and another P200 for the garbage fee.
These flower vendors set up stalls near the Libertad South Public Market along Hernaez Street and Mabini Street; Burgos North Public Market along Burgos Street and Galo Street; and Bacolod Public Plaza along San Juan Street, Gonzaga Street and Gatuslao Street.
Pineda said they require kiosk owners who sell candles to also secure special permits.
On the other hand, prices of undas food items were expected to have remained stable in Bacolod.
Vendors at the Central Market said the adequate supply of glutinous or sticky rice and sugar – the main ingredients of “suman” and “valenciana” which are usually served during the occasion – made their prices remain steady.
Rice vendor Jonathan Bustillo said there have been no price movements despite the expected increase in demand this week.
As of Wednesday, sticky rice or pilit was sold at P65 to P75 per kilogram while black rice or tapul costs P100 per kilogram.
There is sufficient supply of rice products in the market sourced from local traders and millers, Bustillo said.
He added that fewer consumers are buying sticky rice now, compared to previous years when the demand was high.
“It is now hard for us to sell up to 15 kilos a day,” the rice vendor said.
Last year, prices of pilit were higher. The white variety was then sold at P75 per kilogram and the black variety, at P80 per kilogram. (With reports from PNA/PN)
