Philippines - Retail Price Survey 2008

Philippines Retail Price Survey 2008

Agricultural Survey Retail price data collection 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 (4) years after the law was passed. It has since become a regular activity of the BAEcon and subsequently taken over and sustained by the BAS.

The operation started with the monitoring of 57 retail items using 10 radio transceivers in 10 provincial trading centers. In 1969, the AMNEWSS coverage was expanded to 21 provincial trading centers and 12 Metro Manila markets. 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 the 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 work and the information needs and preferences of farmers and agribusinessmen. This now 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 retail prices is based on these improvements.

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

MARKET: Generally, the main public markets within the provincial capital or key city. In provinces with more than one (1) market, additional markets for monitoring are selected based on the following criteria: 1) Size of the market in terms of volume traded; 2) Floor area of wet market; 3) Number of traders and consumer patronage; and 4) Strategic location along main roads and intersections and accessible to main transport routes.

COMMODITY: The agricultural products referred to as the Provincial Retail Market Basket (PRMB), for which retail prices are to be collected are listed in the retail price collection forms. The number of commodities monitored in the different markets varies by province. A province can have as many as 77 to 139 commodities covered for retail prices. Generally, the following are the major criteria for the selection of commodities in the PRMB: 1) Included in retail market baskets of the National Statistics Office (NSO) and the National Wage Productivity Commission (NWPC); 2) Prices are frequently requested by researchers; 3) Priority crop/item in the province; and 4) Prices are regularly aired over radio. The following are the criteria in the selection of commodities to be monitored: 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 or strongly controlled commodity systems; 5) Considerable price fluctuations; and 6) Priority commodity in the province 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.

RESPONDENT: retailer with permanent stall in the market covered.

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

National Coverage (17 regions including the National Capital Region)

Province - covers 81 provinces

Retail prices of all agricultural commodities.

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

2010-05-31 Version 1.0 (May 2010)

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