Guimaras food inflation remains negative in August 2025

Food inflation in Guimaras stayed below zero in August 2025, with -2.6 percent for all income households and -3.3 percent for low-income households, easing from -3.7 percent and -4.7 percent, respectively, in July, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)–Guimaras.

Both rates showed a sharp reversal from August 2024, when food inflation reached 7.3 percent for all income households and 8.3 percent for low-income households.

For all income households, the improvement was mainly driven by higher prices of vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas, and pulses, which rose to 3.9 percent from -8.9 percent in July and contributed 49.1 percent to the overall food inflation trend.

Fish and other seafood rebounded to 3.6 percent from -0.3 percent, contributing 46.3 percent, while oils and fats slightly improved to -0.3 percent from -6.1 percent, contributing 3.3 percent.

Other food items with rising prices included milk, other dairy products and eggs (4.3 percent from 4.0 percent), and sugar, confectionery and desserts (-1.7 percent from -1.8 percent).

In contrast, cereals and cereal products posted deeper deflation at -12.7 percent from -11.1 percent, while meat (1.5 percent from 4.2 percent), fruits and nuts (1.7 percent from 7.3 percent), and ready-made food (0.5 percent from 0.8 percent) all slowed, with rice inflation remaining sharply negative at -16.6 percent.

Among low-income households, the decline in inflation was mainly influenced by rising prices in fish and other seafood, which increased to 7.4 percent from 1.4 percent in July and contributed 61.0 percent to the trend.

Vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas and pulses also rose to 3.7 percent from -7.4 percent, contributing 32.8 percent, while oils and fats climbed to 0.1 percent from -8.7 percent, with a 5.7 percent contribution.

Offsetting these gains were slower or negative movements in cereals and cereal products (13.7 percent from 12.1 percent), meat (1.1 percent from 4.0 percent), fruits and nuts (1.5 percent from 6.3 percent), sugar, confectionery and desserts (-2.8 percent from -2.7 percent), and ready-made food (3.3 percent from 3.7 percent).

Cereals and cereal products remained the biggest drag on food inflation, accounting for -4.39 percentage points among all-income households and -5.76 percentage points among low-income households.

Sugar, confectionery and desserts also contributed -0.04 and -0.06 percentage points to the decline for all and low-income households, respectively.

“These essential commodities exerted the strongest downward pressure on food prices, reinforcing the negative inflation recorded for both household groups,” PSA–Guimaras Chief Statistical Specialist Nelida Losare said.

Food inflation in Western Visayas as a whole also declined, falling from 7.1 percent in August 2024 to -2.5 percent in August 2025.

Antique posted the sharpest drop, from 7.3 percent to -6.5 percent, followed by Aklan (6.1 percent to -3.7 percent), Guimaras (7.3 percent to -2.6 percent), and Iloilo (7.7 percent to -2.9 percent).

Capiz neared price stability with inflation easing from 7.4 percent to -0.1 percent.

Iloilo City, the region’s only Highly Urbanized City, maintained a positive rate at 0.6 percent, down from 4.9 percent in August 2024.

“By August 2025, most provinces in Western Visayas continued to post negative inflation, sustaining the downward trend in food prices that started in the first half of the year,” Losare said.