Guimaras food inflation turns negative in 2025

Guimaras recorded a steady deceleration in its average annual food inflation from 2023 to 2025, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Food inflation in the province slowed from 8.5 percent in 2023 to 7.9 percent in 2024 before reversing to a negative rate of 2.0 percent in 2025.

Overall, this represents a cumulative decline of 9.9 percentage points in average annual food inflation over the three years, PSA data showed.

At the national level, the Philippines posted a downward trend in average annual food inflation, easing from 8.0 percent in 2023 to 4.5 percent in 2024 and further to 1.0 percent in 2025.

In Western Visayas, food inflation declined from 9.4 percent in 2023 to 6.0 percent in 2024 before settling at a near-zero rate of 0.1 percent in 2025.

“Despite the overall moderation of food inflation at both the national and regional levels, Guimaras stood out and registered a negative average annual food inflation in 2025,” said Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare.

Over 10 years, from 2016 to 2025, Guimaras recorded fluctuating but generally moderate food inflation trends.

Food inflation eased from 3.7 percent in 2016 to 2.4 percent in 2017 before accelerating to 5.3 percent in 2018 and slowing again to 3.7 percent in 2019.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, food inflation edged up to 4.0 percent before moderating to 3.6 percent in 2021.

In 2022, the province registered its highest food inflation rate for the decade at 7.0 percent, reflecting heightened price pressures on food commodities.

This was followed by a decline to 5.3 percent in 2023, which remained unchanged in 2024.

“By 2025, food inflation dropped sharply to 0.1 percent, the lowest level in the past 10 years, signaling a significant easing of food price pressures in the province,” Losare said.

“This decline was primarily driven by the easing inflation in cereals and cereal products, posting a -8.7 percent inflation rate from 19.7 percent in 2024, contributing 87.9 percent to the overall change in Guimaras’ food inflation,” Losare added.

Meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals also influenced the downward trend, with inflation slowing to 4.4 percent from 12.7 percent a year earlier.

Ready-made food and other food products likewise contributed to the decline, easing to 1.8 percent from an 8.8 percent inflation rate in 2024.

In contrast, fruits and nuts, vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas, pulses, and sugar, confectionery, and desserts recorded faster inflation rates in 2025 compared with the previous year.

Inflation for fruits and nuts rose to -0.3 percent from -5.1 percent, while vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas, and pulses increased to 1.6 percent from -0.1 percent.

Meanwhile, sugar, confectionery, and desserts posted a higher inflation rate, improving to -2.7 percent from -6.7 percent.

“It can also be noted that the main contributors to the overall food inflation in Guimaras in 2025 were cereals and cereal products, which accounted for a 131.6 percent contribution or -2.6 percentage points,” Losare said.

“This was followed by fish and other seafood with a 4.4 percent contribution or -0.09 percentage point, and sugar, confectionery, and desserts with a 2.5 percent contribution or -0.05 percentage point,” she added.