Philippines - Wholesale Price Survey 2008

Philippines Wholesale Price Survey 2008

Agricultural Survey Wholesale price survey was institutionalized at the then Bureau of Agricultural Economics (BAEcon) with the enactment of RA 4148 in 1964, which created the Agricultural Marketing News Service (AMNEWSS). The AMNEWSS is a price monitoring service that aims to address the information needs of a cross section of information users such as farmers, policy makers and others. AMNEWSS was launched in 1968, four years after the law was passed. It has since then become a regular activity of the BAEcon and subsequently taken over and sustained by the BAS.

The operation started with the monitoring of 67 wholesale items using 10 radio transceivers in 10 provincial trading centers. In the succeeding years, AMNEWSS underwent several changes in market and commodity coverage, collection frequency and procedures to improve the system, to suit availability of budgetary requirements, and the transition from BAEcon to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics. Likewise, the number of commodities covered increased. Price dissemination was enhanced through radio broadcasts, publication in selected print media and distribution of marketing reports to government offices.

Over the years, it was felt that the AMNEWSS catered more to the needs of the policy makers and did not provide the information needed by its main clientele-the farmers and fisherfolk. To improve the AMNEWSS and make it more responsive to the information needs of farmers and entrepreneurs, the Agricultural Marketing Information System (AGMARIS) was launched in 1992 through funding support from the USAID. AGMARIS is a system which follows a systematic approach in assessing and responding to marketing information needs of farmers and traders at the local level (province) and policy makers at the national level. It is based on the results of a Marketing Information Needs Assessment (MINA), a research methodology employing rapid appraisal techniques. This research activity aimed to gain understanding on how key markets and information system works and the information needs and preferences of farmers and agribusinessmen. This became the basis in designing a provincial system that parallels the marketing system and responds to the information needs of users. The current methodology in collecting wholesale prices are based on these improvements.

ID Number PHL-BAS-WPS-2008-v2.0

MARKET: Wholesale buying prices are being collected in 53 provinces while wholesale selling prices are being collected in 42 provinces. For most provinces, the selection of markets was based on the results of surveys, which considered the volume of commodities traded, the number of market days and other relevant market information. The following criteria are used in the selection of markets or trading centers for wholesale price survey: CROPS 1) First point of sale or “bagsakan” within the province recognized by both farmers and traders; 2) site of active trading or substantial quantities of varied commodities; 3) accessible to major crossroads and market infrastructure; and 4) strategically located relative to production areas. FISH 1) Fish landing area within the province recognized by small fishermen and traders; and 2) site of active trading of substantial quantities of varied fish species. LIVESTOCK 1) Established “oksyon” market within the province as recognized by both raisers and traders; and 2) site of active trading of substantial number of livestock.

COMMODITY: Wholesale buying prices are monitored for 41 commodities while collection of wholesale selling prices is done for 63 commodities. As a rule in wholesale price data collection, a commodity cannot be covered in both types of wholesale price monitoring in the same trading center. The list of commodities for wholesale price monitoring for each POC is referred to as the Provincial Wholesale Market Basket (PWMB). The following are the criteria in the selection of commodities to be covered: CROPS 1) National priority among food commodities; 2) Substantial quantities marketed by many farmers and brought by the traders; 3) High value commodity with strong potential demand; 4) Not dominant estate crops nor strongly controlled commodity systems; 5) Considerable price fluctuations; and 5) Priority commodity in the provinces as expressed by the local government. FISH 1) Marine species (unprocessed); 2) Available year round; and 3) Substantial volume of fish catch marketed by many fishermen and bought by many fish traders. LIVESTOCK 1) Substantial quantities marketed by many livestock raisers and brought by many traders; 2) High value commodity with strong demand; and 3) Traded in a significant number of livestock “oksyon” markets (LOMs) in the province.

Topic	Vocabulary	URI
agricultural, forestry and rural industry [2.1]	CESSDA	http://www.nesstar.org/rdf/common
ECONOMICS [1]	CESSDA	http://www.nesstar.org/rdf/common

National coverage

The lowest level of geographic aggregation covered by the data is the province.

Buying and selling prices of all wholesale traders of the agricultural commodity:

Name	Abbreviation	Affiliation	Role
Alegria A. Mota	AAM	Bureau of Agricultural Statistics	Documenter

2010-05-31 Version 1.0 (May 2010)

DDI-PHL-BAS-WPS-2008-v1.0