Saturday, December 08, 2007 $111-M tuna products exported in 8 months
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Export receipts of canned tuna products from this city for the first eight months of the year reached $111 million, with the bulk of the commodity landing in the European Union.
The latest official data from the Department of Trade and Industry-Central Mindanao showed that some 52 million kilos of canned tuna goods were shipped to at least 25 foreign markets during the period. The 25-member European Union accounts around 28 million kilos valued at nearly $60 million.
United States was the second largest consumer of canned tuna products from this city, buying at least 17 million kilos worth some $35 million.
General Santos is known as the "Tuna Capital of the Philippines," where six of the eight tuna canneries in the country are located.
At far third was Japan where two million kilos of canned tuna products were sold with a value of $5 million.
China, with an estimated population of 1.3 billion people and which tuna industry leaders wanted to deeply penetrate, imported at least one million kilos of canned tuna products with a value of $1.6 million.
Marfenio Tan, president of the Socsksargen Federation of Fishing Associations and Allied Industries, Inc., said the industry has been trying to win the Chinese population to change their eating pattern from freshwater fishes to tuna consumption.
"If the Chinese will only learn how to eat tuna, our supply in Europe and the United States will not be enough to meet the demand of China," Tan said.
Also, a successful penetration of the Chinese market would augur well to the tuna industry as exporters will have to shell out less for freight expenses and enjoy tax perks since that country is part of the Asean economic block, he added.
Tan pointed out that China is nearer than Europe and the United States from the Philippines, thus a significant savings on shipment costs for Filipino tuna exporters if the country can successfully pry open the Chinese market.
He noted that Philippines "would have no problem" dealing with Chinese food safety standards as local producers' practices have been accepted by Europe and the United States.
Domingo Teng, immediate past president of the federation, said they are banking on the younger Chinese population to patronize tuna products from the country.
"The Chinese market is evolving. They are becoming more modern and millions of people there are expected to become millionaires due to the double digit (economic growth) of China," he said.
General Tuna Corp., maker of the Century-brand canned tuna products, pioneered the canned tuna product shipment to China selling it there using the Filipino brand.
Canned tuna products, for the full year of 2006, generated export sales of at least $172 million at a volume of 93.1 million kilos, a comparative report from the regional Trade department office showed.
Nelly Nita Dillera, DTI-Central Mindanao business development division chief, said the agency is optimistic that the export performance of canned tuna products this year will breach that of 2006.
She said that agency statisticians are still collating data for the months of September to December.
The deficit for this year to surpass last year's $172 million export receipts is $61 million.
