MANILA, Philippines?Vegetable prices are still higher than last month's levels but Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Salvador Salacup said in a statement Saturday that a decline was imminent.

He said that besides shipments from alternative sources in the Visayas and Mindanao, deliveries from traditional sources such as landslide-hit Benguet were beginning to normalize.

Already, vegetable prices have dropped by as much as P30 to P70 per kilo, Salacup said.

"Retail prices of highland vegetables such as carrots, cabbage rareball, cabbage scorpio, white potato, sayote and pechay Baguio continued to decline from previous levels," he added.

He said prices of cabbage scorpio, carrots, pechay Baguio and white potato went down by as much as P70 per kilo. The price of sayote (chayote) has dropped by as much as P30.

Also on Friday, the Department of Agriculture reported prices at 18 "Bagsakan Centers" or wholesale markets in Metro Manila.

These are the Pasig City Mega Market (formely Mutya ng Pasig Market), Viajero Market, City Market of Antipolo, Rublou Market Greenland and Floodway, Muntinlupa Public Market, South Station, New C.I Market, KADIWA Center, Marikina Market Zone, Marikina Public Market, Pritil Market, Commonwealth Market, Maypajo Market, Mega - Q Mart, Meycauayan Market, Oriental Market, Carmona Public Market at Bacoor Public Market.

Ampalaya (bitter melon) is selling for P60 to P100 per kilo, cabbage scorpio P50 to P80, carrots P50 to P90, tomatoes P36 to P60, red onions P58 to P80 and eggplant P40 to P65.

Ampalaya at P60 per kilo is available at the City Market of Antipolo.

Cabbage scorpio is at P50 per kilo at the KADIWA Center, as well as carrots at P50.

Tomatoes at P36 per kilo can be sourced from the Bacoor Public Market.

Red onions are selling for P58 at the Oriental Market.

Eggplant is cheapest at P40 per kilo at the New C.I Market.

As for other market commodities, pork ham or kasim is priced at P145 to P170 per kilo in Bagsakan Centers. The lower end of the price range was noted at Rublou Market Greenland and Floodway.

Liempo sells for P154 to P180, the cheaper ones also at the Rublou Market Greenland and Floodway.

Dressed chicken sells for P120 to P140 per kilo, with the Pasig City Mega Market selling on the lower end of the price scale.

Medium-sized eggs are passed on to consumers at P4 to P5 per piece. Commonwealth Market at Meycauayan Market offers the most affordable prices, the department said.

Medium sized bangus is at P90 to P120 per kilo and medium sized tilapia sells for P75 to P100 per kilo.

The Pasig City Mega Market, Marikina Market Zone, KADIWA Center, City Market of Antipolo at Meycauayan Market have the lowest prices for medium-sized bangus.

The most affordable tilapia is sold at the Pasig City Mega Market, New C.I. Market and Marikina Market Zone.