Philippines: Producers suffer from tilapia and milkfish glut

Despite the recent typhoons that hit some parts of the country, fish producers in Batangas and Pampanga assured that there is enough supply of fresh water fish. The problem is there is no demand. In a briefing hosted by food advocacy group Tugon Kabuhayan, Philippine Tilapia Stakeholders Association President Jon G. Juico said that demand for tilapia has been going down since last year and that even with the recent rains, the supply of the fish product was not affected. “We are brimming with tilapia supply in Central Luzon. Our problem is that the demand has been down since last year, maybe because of the pandemic and our declining economy,” Juico said. According to him, the farm-gate price of palay stood around P70 per kilogram (/kg) now, compared to pre-pandemic average price of P80/kg to P85/kg. The cost to produce tilapia stood around P60/kg to P65/kg. “Considering that there were typhoons, prices should have spiked but it didn’t. The demand is really down,” Juico further ...