‘Bangus’ growers struggle as prices fall, costs rise

CALASIAO, PANGASINAN, Philippines — “Bangus” (milkfish) producers are struggling to recover their production costs as expenses rise and farm-gate prices of the country’s national fish decline.

The sharp drop in farm-gate prices from P200 to P125 per kilogram on Oct. 12 and Oct. 13 highlighted a growing challenge for the province’s bangus industry: higher production does not necessarily translate into higher earnings.

The sudden price decline may have been triggered by a fish kill in Dagupan City during the same period, although prices have since recovered somewhat. However, they are gradually falling again, according to Alex Soriano, president of the Philippine Milkfish Industry Group (PhilMIG).

READ: Erratic weather harmful to Pangasinan ‘bangus’

Bangus producers from across the country discussed the industry’s challenges during the Bangus Congress held in Clark, Pampanga from Oct. 14 to Oct. 16 by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and PhilMIG.

Soriano said bangus sales had also declined.

“We do not know if there is oversupply, or the consumers’ purchasing power is becoming limited, or other pressures are affecting the market,” he said.

Increasing production

Western Pangasinan alone has between 4,000 and 4,600 cages used for bangus culture, Soriano said. Of these, about 1,200 are in Sual, 2,000 to 2,500 in Anda and Bolinao, 300 in Infanta, and 600 in a newly opened mariculture zone in Labrador

BFAR Central Luzon Director Wilfredo Cruz said national bangus production increased from 361,552 metric tons in 2024 to 400,246 MT in 2025. Pangasinan accounted for 136,768 MT of the country’s total output last year.

Daily harvests from Pangasinan’s mariculture areas are estimated at 40 MT to 50 MT. Despite this volume, about 300 “banyera,” or fish containers, remain unsold each night in the Navotas and Malabon markets, Soriano said.

Although the volume of losses from the Dagupan City fish kill has yet to be recorded, he said the incident was unlikely to have significantly affected overall supply.

A similar situation is unfolding in the Visayas, where overproduction has forced some fish farmers to delay harvesting their bangus. Some of the fish have already grown to about 3 kilos each, said PhilMIG chair David Villaluz.

Industry players also cited fish imports as a possible factor behind declining sales of locally produced bangus.

The country set a total import cap of 250,000 MT for fish and other aquatic products this year under Department of Agriculture (DA) Circular No. 12. On Sept. 2, the DA authorized an initial allocation of 60,000 MT through Department Circular No. 47.

Villaluz said the industry was not opposed to fish imports but urged the government to consider the plight of local producers, who struggle to compete when imported fish flood the market.

Producers warned that prices could remain under pressure if production continues to expand without a corresponding increase in market demand.

The impact could become more pronounced during the summer season next year, Villaluz said. /cb