Rice and veggie prices set to rise

Wrath of nature: Residents wading through chest-deep floodwaters caused by Noru in San Miguel town, Bulacan province. — AP

CONSUMERS should brace for an increase of as much as 20% in the retail prices of rice and vegetables after Super Typhoon Karding (known internationally as Noru) wreaked havoc on the country’s farm sector, says the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Domingo Panganiban, the Agriculture Senior Undersecretary, said they were expecting a spike of 15% to 20% in prices of food items because the rice-producing region of Central Luzon suffered the brunt of the typhoon.