MANILA, Philippines – A ranking official of the Department of Trade and Industry on Thursday, 24 October 2019, said their monitoring team has detected overpricing of prime commodities during a surprise inspection in Pritil Market in Tondo this city.

DTI Undersecretary Ruth Castelo said her team monitored overpricing on the unit prices of pork and poultry products.

According to Castelo, the consumer protection group of DTI will not allow stall owners to take advantage of the high demand for the said products.

Farmgate price of chicken is only P95 per kilo stressed Castelo.

“And selling the poultry product for P180 per kilo is simply too high even if the said product was delivered by a middleman,” she said.

Castelo also claimed the unit price of pork on the said market should not go beyond P200 because there is ample supply of the meat product notwithstanding the threat of African Swine Fever.

Because of the overpricing incidents, the DTI consumer protection group said it will draft a report and submit it to the Department of Agriculture for corresponding action against those involved in overpricing of agricultural products.

Meantime, the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) confiscated at least 26 kilos of chicken from a stall owner who failed to produce the necessary permit to sell.

Aside from the prices of meat products, the DTI said prices of rice and eggs were considered fair. (BC/IAMIGO/CNS)