DA: Sardine supply sufficient

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MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture on Wednesday said the supply of sardines in the country remains sufficient, contrary to the claims of ‘shortage’ by big fishing firms.

DA, citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, said the country will be able to meet the annual demand of 101,367 metric tons (MT) for sardines since it estimated annual production of 293,431 MT of the fish this year.

The agency attributed the stable supply to the “effective implementation” of the National Sardine Management Plan. This refers to a five-year plan which harmonizes all the policies and programs on sardines, like the implementation of 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 agency made the clarification following the call of a group of sardines manufacturers to open up the municipal waters to commercial fishing vessels to address the purported shortage of sardines.

DA said the alleged sardine shortage “is contrary to the existing sardine supply sufficiency data.”

An organization of fisherfolk on Tuesday also slammed the proposal of the manufacturers, echoing the agency’s report that the sardines supply remains sufficient. — with Lyka Farillon, Inquier.net intern

JMS/abc