A new suggested retail price guide will be released this week following the price increase of over 60 shelf-keeping units (SKUs), or items for sale.
The Department of Trade and Industry said the new list which aims to guide consumers is expected to be released Thursday. This will reflect the price increase of 62 items including several brands of sardines, canned meat, evaporated milk, Pinoy tasty and Pinoy pandesal. The prices of candles and batteries are also poised to rise.
DTI Assistant Secretary Agaton Uvero said the price increase was tempered to less than 10 percent. “Two percent to nine percent, ganun yung range. Effective na ‘yun as far as the manufacturers are concerned, puede na sila magtaas. Sa consumer makikita nila pagtaas in the next few weeks in actual,” he said.
(The range is from two to nine percent. That’s effective as far as the manufacturers are concerned; it will allow them to raise prices. Consumers will see the actual increase in the next few weeks.)
Uvero said the price hikes got the green light after a thorough review showed that the costs for manufacturers have risen. “Pag ni-review naman kasi mga raw material costs, grabe tinaas ng mga raw materials, lalo yung may mga imported components, grabe tinaas. Sixty-two SKUs lang ito out of thousands of items, hindi naman ito karamihan.”
(When we reviewed the raw materials costs, they have risen so much, especially the imported components. These are just 62 SKUs out of thousands of items, so not a lot.)
