DTI-DA-private sector teamup proposed to stabilize fish supply
THE Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Agriculture have been urged to engage the canned fish sector over supply concerns, especially with sardines.
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, made the call following the closing of the fishing season in the Zamboanga Peninsula, which happens every year from Dec. 1 to Feb. 28 to enable sardines to reproduce.
According to Salceda, the government should ensure that there is no shortage of canned sardines during the subsequent season.
“It looks like supply levels remain manageable, as the industry was able to meet the 75,000 metric tons it is required to store during the closed season. But I also expect demand for canned sardines to pick-up this year,” Salceda said.
“And there remain underlying issues, like the Suggested Retail Price being below the cost at which some of the canners produce. With marketing costs, the price is P20, which is above the P18 SRP.”
He urged DTI and the DA to engage in dialogue with the industry and with small players and stakeholders as soon as possible, so we can prevent this potential problem from materializing.
“We also need to strengthen collaboration with alternative fish sources, such as Papua New Guinea, which is one of our biggest sources of sardines,” Salceda added.
Salceda also said that the country needs to ramp up the completion of the 54 legislated hatcheries, only three of which have been completed.
“We need to ramp up aquaculture. We source only 52 percent of our fish supply from aquaculture, and rely on capture for the rest. We can amp that up. I am already working with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources so they can finish up more hatcheries this year,” Salceda added.
“For sardines, mariculture is the key. Portugal – arguably the country best known for sardines – is already doing it, backed by solid research. So, BFAR needs a very strong research and development component as well,” he also said.
