Freshwater fish prices stable in NCR, says BFAR

The market retail prices for bangus and tilapia remain stable in the National Capital Region, the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) said Wednesday.

This followed after the DA on Tuesday reported a P30 per kilo increase in freshwater fish prices, citing the decreasing supply of saltwater fish during the closed fishing season.

In a statement, the DA-BFAR said that the latest monitoring in over 10 major retail markets stated that medium-sized bangus sourced from Bulacan and Pangasinan were sold at P180 per kilo, while medium-sized tilapia sourced from Batangas and Pampanga were sold at P120 per kilo.

They further added that farmgate prices of Tilapia have decreased to P85–P88 over the week, as compared to P90 to P93 of the previous week.

“The DA-BFAR did not observe a fluctuation in the prevailing retail prices of bangus and tilapia. The prices of these fisheries commodities have remained stable since the previous weeks due to sufficient supply from farms,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, the DA-BFAR said that an increased supply of local-fresh galunggong may be expected in markets as Palawan, a major source of galunggong, will end its closed fishing season on Wednesday.

“Rest assured that price and supply monitoring efforts are continuously overseen by the DA-BFAR and other concerned agencies to ensure that fish commodities are affordable and sufficient for the consumers in Metro Manila,” it added.

In an earlier statement, the DA said it aimed to bring tilapia and bangus prices back to P50 to P70 per kilo. — Jiselle Anne C. Casucian/BM, GMA Integrated News