DTI: No price hike for pan de sal, sardines

MANILA, Philippines – There will be no price increase for pan de sal and canned sardines, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced yesterday.

Trade Secretary Peter Favila is scheduled to sit down with bakers and flour millers next week to discuss why local flour prices should rise when world market prices have stabilized.

The DTI has also negotiated with fishing groups, canneries and tin can makers to reduce the planned increase in the price of the fish principally used for canned sardines.

Trade Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya said that SOPHIL Deep Sea Fishing Association Inc. has come to an agreement with the Zamboanga City Canners Association to reduce the increase in the price of tamban by P3.

The undersecretary said the increase would be P22 instead of the P25 price adjustment announced earlier.

DTI officials said they had asked the industries to talk among themselves in the presence of DTI Region 9 Director Nazrullah Manzur in order to moderate price increases.

Manzur said he reminded the fishing groups to understand the predicament of fish canneries and the plight of consumers.

“The stabilization in the tin can price and the reduction in the price of tamban translate to stable price for sardines,” Manzur said.

Local tin can makers said food can prices would likely remain unchanged for the rest of the year in anticipation of the seasonal slowdown in demand in the world market.

Maglaya said he was assured by Henry Tañedo of the Tin Can Manufacturers Association of the Philippines that the 15 percent increase implemented in July was enough to cover the rising cost of imported tin plates up to the end of August.

Meanwhile, Lucito Chavez of the Philippine Federation of Bakers Association Inc (PFBAI) said the proposed price increase for bread would not push through.

Ric Pinca, executive director of the Philippine Association of Flour Millers (PAFMIL) said they are supporting the move of the bakers to hold on to their prices because “consumers may shift their consumption to alternatives foods such as rice.”

“Moreover, consumers still prefer rice over bread and with stable prices noted on rice, bread consumption may lessen,” Maglaya warned.

Maglaya said the DTI has arranged a meeting for bakers and flour millers to clarify if there is really a need to increase the price of flour.

“Both the bakers and millers were very willing to sit down and address the problems of bread prices,” she said. 

The two groups will sit down with Favila next week.

“We are very grateful for the cooperation shown by the different industries in helping us implement measures to keep the price of products at affordable levels for our consumers,” Maglaya said.