Tuesday, April 29, 2008 Taboan dried fish sales increase amid hard times: industry head
AS FOOD and fuel prices go up, more people—it seems—go for goods that last longer, like dried fish.
“It’s a necessity,” said Abraham Desamparado, president of the Taboan Dried Fish Dealers Association.
He said low-income households prefer dried fish to fresh meat because it doesn’t spoil easily and even a small piece can be paired with vegetables to make a good viand.
Desamparado, also president of the Taboan (Market) Management Team, said his dried fish dealership saw a recent increase in revenues even though prices of dried fish had gone up.
He noted that four years ago, his store at Taboan Market, Cebu City made about P40,000 in gross revenues daily. At present, though, his store makes about P80,000 a day.
He expects the dried fish dealership business in the Taboan Market to continue growing as the place has become the wholesale center for dealers from other areas in Cebu, as well as some provinces in Mindanao.
He said that while he expects his business to grow, he would need more capital to buy goods he can resell because of the price increase as well as for operating expenses like fuel.
Cebu dealers, however, may have to import more dried fish if the country’s fish stocks continue to dwindle, he said.
He said supply also declines, particularly during bad weather.
Even now, dried fish dealers are selling imported dried squid from Taiwan, Desamparado said in an interview during the Buwad (dried fish) Festival in Taboan Saturday.
Imported dried squid is also cheaper at P450 a kilo compared to the locally produced variety, which is at P480 per kilo.
But Desamparado said dried fish from Bantayan Island remains the best and most sought-after variety.
“Lami ug sakto gyud sa timpla (It’s got the right flavor),” he said.
Dried fish dealers at Taboan have also turned their stores into “one-stop” Cebuano delicacy shops by selling otap, rosquillos, dried mangoes and even chorizo (native sausages).
Safety issues
But while dried fish dealers in Taboan foresee further growth, especially with more awareness about the business through the Buwad Festival, they worry about safety and security issues that could discourage customers.
Desamparado said reports of theft have prevented customers from going to Taboan to buy dried fish.
The San Nicolas Police Station is located within the Taboan Market compound.
“Naa man magpatrolya, pero angay gyud nga naa’y mo-poste,” Desamparado said. (There are police who conduct patrols, but there should be more who can stay in one place)
Meanwhile, Cebu City Councilor Gerardo Carillo said he plans to file a resolution institutionalizing the Buwad Festival in Taboan.
Carillo, who attended Taboan’s First Buwad Festival, said the dried fish dealership in Taboan, Barangay San Nicolas has a significant place in Cebu’s history.
Barangay San Nicolas is the first human settlement in Cebu. (LAP)
