By Hilda Austria | Philippine News Agency
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Ilocos Region (BFAR-1) on Wednesday assured ample supply of bangus (milkfish) in Pangasinan amid typhoons experienced in the past months.
The assurance dispelled reports about insufficient supply in the Dagupan City public market, which prompted a price hike.
“The bangus supply remains ample and the increased price of bangus reflects a balanced market, not an undersupply or overproduction, ensuring a fair price for our fisherfolk but still very affordable for the consumers,” BFAR-1 director Rosario Segundina Gaerlan said in a statement on Wednesday.
While few small-scale producers who were hit by losses temporarily stopped production, most operators persisted in growing the fish to not disrupt the market supply, and many of those who stopped have re-started their operations, she added.
Gaerlan explained that “When prices in the consignacion (fish public market) drop, some bangus producers look for other markets to bring the produce.”
“Also, there are buyers who go directly to the farms, bypassing consignacion, and bringing their produce direct to retailers,” she said.
Bangus production in the province in the third quarter of 2024 is at 73,533 metric tons, more than twice the 27,000 metric tons in the same period in 2023, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data show.
The ample supply is attributed to producers’ resilience and government interventions such as provision of fingerlings, alternative markets, and trade fairs.
BFAR said it was continuously supporting and guiding the industry, especially the small-scale players.
“This includes helping them look for alternative markets for their produce, providing them with inputs like fingerlings, and bringing their produce direct to retailers, including participation in trade fairs like the Kadiwa markets,” Gaerlan said.
The Samahang Magbabangus sa Pangasinan (SaMaPa) said the milkfish industry is healthy and strong amidst the slight increase in prices.
Alex Soriano, president of Tiera Norte Aquaculture operators at the mariculture park in Sual, Pangasinan, in an interview Wednesday, said they bring five tons of milkfish to Magsaysay Market in Dagupan City every night.
Rhod Dalaten, a vendor at the fish market, in a separate interview, said prices of milkfish usually increase during the holidays due to the demand as many visitors go to the city for the festivities.
He said prices of milkfish as of Wednesday range from P180 to P190 per kilo for oversized or more than 500 grams per piece; P170 to P180 per kilo for 500 grams per piece; and P120 to P160 per kilo for the other sizes.