PH has oversupply of sardines

The Philippines remains sardine-sufficient for the year amid reports of an artificial shortage, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Wednesday.

The sufficiency level for tamban or sardine is 222.58 percent for the first quarter of 2022 and 409.06 percent for the second quarter, data from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) showed.

Data from the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute’s National Stock Assessment Program showed that sardine stock significantly improved resulting in more sardines reaching maturity and appropriate catchable size.

“The stable supply is attributed to the effective implementation of the National Sardine Management Plan, a five-year plan which harmonizes all the policies and programs on sardines including conservation measures such as the closed fishing seasons. Since its implementation in 2020, a notable improvement in production and supply was recorded,” the DA said in a statement.

The BFAR pegged the 2022 production at 293,431 metric tons (MT), more than sufficient to cover the national demand of 101,367 MT.

“The volume, which is entirely sourced locally, comes from commercial and municipal fishers, at 208,387 MT and 85,043 MT share respectively,” it added. INQ