The Department of Agriculture- Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) assured consumers on Wednesday that the country has a sufficient supply of sardines.

In a statement, the DA-BFAR said the supply is “entirely locally-produced” even as it forecast an annual production of 293,431 MT.

“The volume, which is entirely sourced locally, comes from commercial and municipal fishers, at 208,387 metric tons (MT) and 85,043 MT share, respectively,” it said.

The said projection is expected to suffice the national demand of 101,367 MT sardines.

Like the DA-BFAR, the Philippine Statistics Authority also assured its sufficiency.

“There is no sardine shortage, as sufficiency level for sardine or tamban is pegged at 222.58% for the first quarter of 2022, and 409.06% for the 2nd quarter,” it added.

The agency mentioned that the implementation of the National Sardine Management Plan has helped stabilize the local supply.

“Since its implementation in 2020, a notable improvement in production and supply was recorded,” the DA said. (PNA)