The Canned Sardines Association of the Philippines (CSAP) said its earlier warning of a possible shortage in canned sardines may soon be felt as it was not able to procure any fish supply from small fisherfolk during the closed fishing season.
Francisco Buencamino, CSAP executive director, said in a forum hosted by the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. in Quezon City yesterday small fisherfolk’s catch did not meet standard cannery requirements for fish size and temperature.
Buencamino said the fisher groups were also demanding higher prices from canneries at P100 to P120 per kilogram (kg) when they sell the same in wet markets for P30 per kg.
Last October, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) signed a memorandum of agreement with CSAP which provides that the former will link and help registered municipal fishing associations in selling their sardines catch to canneries during the closed fishing season from November 15 up to February 15 this year.
During this period, only municipal fishers are allowed to catch.
Meanwhile, Buencamino said some canneries plan to pull out their products from supermarkets and instead distribute them to other channels like wet markets and sari-sari stores.
This will effectively enable sardine manufacturers to skirt the suggested retail price (SRP) of sardines.
CSAP said breakeven price for sardines is at around P21 but SRP is now only at P18.
Last year, CSAP requested a P3- increase in SRP of sardines, noting that the amount “is just a small portion of finished canned sardine prices.” The group said the last SRP increase for the commodity was back in 2019.
