Several fishing sector groups are urging the government, particularly the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, to convene a meeting and discuss the looming supply shortage in sardines for canning.
Francisco Buencamino, executive director of the Sardines Canners Association of the Philippines, saidyesterday in a briefing hosted by food security advocacy group, Tugon Kabuhayan,there is no shortage of canned sardines yet.
However, he noted a looming supply insufficiency due to the low fish catch of commercial fishers from whom canners source their sardines as well as due to the scheduled closed fishing seasonfor commercial fishing from December to February.
“Commercial fishing is subject to the closed fishing season. We have only nine months in a year to allow us to build up the needed demand of about 200,000 to 250,000 metric tons (MT) of sardines needed for our operations…Also, the spawning season during the closed fishing season does not reconcile with the high market demand during Christmas, New Year’s and January,” said Buencamino.
He added that their call for alert is also due to the need to stock up on sardines for their operations as commercial fishers only catch about 20 to 40 percent of last year’s catch, at present.
On the other hand, Roberto Ballon, a representative of the Gamay’ng Mangingisda sa Concepcion in Zamboanga, said he and fellow municipal fishermen can supply the needed sardines of canneries.
However, Ballon said they would require bigger and better boats as well as post-harvest facilities that would make their catch competitive to those of commercial fishers.
“We would need logistics support and facilities both in the production and harvest stages…We have what we call pangulong (to cage) with small lights. We may use those instead of fishing nets that may damage the sardines’ fins,” Ballonsaid, adding his concern on the low pricing of their catch by canneries.
Canneries usually rely on commercial fishers with bigger and better equipped boats and post-harvest facilities that keep the fish fresh.
Buencamino suggested that the meeting, to be led by the government,also discuss the possibility of allowing commercial fishers to catch 10.1 kilometers outward from the shore which is still covered by municipal waters.
“Local government units should allow us to fish near the shore where there is more fish. We will make sure that it will not affect the municipal fishermen. We just need to get closer so we could build up our inventories before December 1. There will be a shortage if the issue is not addressed,” Buencamino warned.
At present, commercial fishing boats are confined to fishing outside the 15-km mark from the shore.
Meanwhile, Asis Perez, Tugon Kabuhayan convenor, said the Philippines is one of the biggest producers of canned sardines, making its retail price in the country as among the cheapest at P20 to P21 per 155-gram can.
“For the same size, Indonesia’s canned sardines is retailed at P41, US at P56 and the United Kingdom at P163… The canned sardines industry yielded an average volume of 355,000 MT a year, generating an average annual value of P10.45 billion over the last five years,” Perezsaid.
Citing data from Oceana, Perez said the issue must be resolved as over 70 percent of typical Filipinos eat seafood, especially sardines, at least five times per month.
Last month, the Department of Trade and Industry announced an increase in the suggested retail prices (SRP) of 67 basic necessities and prime commodities due to the rising prices of raw materials and packaging and other costs globally.
Among those products was canned sardines in tomato sauce whose SRP rose by 6 percent. – Jed Macapagal
