Several Bohol residents on Tuesday reiterated their call to have fish prices lowered as yearend draws near without an apparent solution to the longstanding problem of exorbitant costs of aquamarine products in the province.
According to one caller of dyRD’s “Inyong Alagad” program who spoke on condition of anonymity, an island such as Bohol surrounded by fish-rich waters should not have problems with fish supply.
Other callers also aired their disbelief on authorities’ claim that insufficient supply has been the reason for expensive fish in the province.
Earlier, several businessmen and fishermen particularly those operating in northern Bohol admitted that they preferred to sell their products in Cebu over Bohol.
In an inquiry carried out by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s (SP) committee on agriculture last month, resource persons said that their products were likely to be sold out in Cebu, unlike in Tagbilaran City.
The commercial fishing operators also bared that Cebu is much nearer than Tagbilaran making it favorable for them to sell their products in Bohol’s neighbor province.
SP members also found out during the same inquiry that several layers of middlemen causing the increase in fish products’ markup value have been a chief factor behind expensive fish in Bohol.
Based on the latest data gathered by station dyRD, leading fish products such as “tamarong” and “tolingan” were being sold at P220 per kilo locally.
Meanwhile, Board Member Abeleon Damalerio who chairs the SP’s agriculture committee said that the panel will be conducting another inquiry to further scrutinize the reason behind exorbitant fish prices in Bohol. (rt)