It is fact that the local tuna industry has become increasingly dependent on stocks caught by foreign fishermen since local producers alone can no longer fill the demand. According to Annie Cabreros, a representative from the Tuna Canners Association of General Santos, there is a crisis in the availability of tuna used by canning factories if local producers will be the only ones supplying the volume.
She added that the canneries have been going out of their comfort zones, sourcing supplies from abroad in the last two to three years. She also said that local suppliers are no longer that many. Before, the tuna canning sector depends only on two to three foreign suppliers but now their number increased to threefold.
It is reported that a foreign ship from Papua New Guinea has unloaded two million kilos of tuna for canned production at the newly expanded wharf at the fish port complex last month. It is said that despite the raw tuna availability challenge canneries are not looking at reducing the processed volume due to demands abroad. The six local canneries here have a combined production capacity volume of 800 tons a day.
Meriam B. Amerkhan, chairperson of the program committee of the 10th national tuna congress, explained that the rising cost of fuel is the main culprit why local suppliers could no longer cope with the demand of the canneries, the reason why local tuna industry stakeholders will ask the government for a fuel subsidy. Amekhan also said that the tuna industry will formally ask for a P5 per liter fuel subsidy during the tuna congress proper.
Domingo T. Teng, president of the Southern Philippines Boat Owners and Tuna Association, said high fuel costs have forced local tuna fishermen to ground their boats. He added that there were fewer tuna fishing expeditions as a result of high prices of fuel products.
