As the European Union further tightens its standards for tuna products, the federation of fisheries in General Santos is looking at new market opportunities with the implementation of the ASEAN-Australia and New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA). “This is a big opportunity and will have a big impact on the tuna industry,” Alfredo P. Hebrona Jr., immediate past president of the Sarangani Chamber of Commerce, said in an interview after speaking at the forum on the benefits of AANZFTA at the Apo View Hotel here on Tuesday. He clarified, however, that the pact needs thorough study to discern its concrete repercussions on this and other industries. Clearly, the advantage is the geographic proximity of Australia to General Santos City, dubbed the “Tuna Capital of the Philippines” for being the host of more than 90 percent of companies in the country that are engaged in tuna production. “Some of these companies, like the Rivera Group, have plants in Papua New Guinea that can be used as a jump-off point to Australia. The problem there is it will not be counted as our [Philippines] export,” Mr. Hebrona said. Business groups in General Santos are now planning trade missions to these countries to gauge demand for specific products, he added. While Hebrona could not provide figures as to how much the industry has been losing, he noted that the six canneries in General Santos have cut the number of work shifts from three a day in 2004-2005 to only one currently. Right now, the canneries and fishers in General Santos are “optimistic but cautious,” said one fishing industry executive who asked not to be named. “We are optimistic because of this agreementbut we are cautious because of the ban on fishing. What's the use of the agreement if you can't catch fish?” the source said.
