Value Chain Analysis of Blue Swimming Crab in the Bicol Region, PHILIPPINES

Blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus) is one of the processed fishery products exported by the Philippines in the global market. However, the volume of production continuously decline due to overexploitation of the commodity in major fishing grounds in the country. This research was undertaken to identify and map-out the value chain of the key sectors of the blue swimming crab industry, estimate the value added received by these sectors at each stage of the chain, and identify factors affecting the establishment of lying-in facility as a solution to the declining catch of blue swimming crabs in the Bicol region. The value chain of blue swimming crab in the Bicol Region is composed of few well-integrated players which extend to other parts of Luzon and the Visayas. Volume of production and prevailing price are the common information shared among key players. In terms of payment, cash on delivery is the common practice among the key players. The estimated value of a kilogram of “all-in” cooked crab meat is USD18.40. Approximately USD4.97 per kilogram or 55.69% of the value of picked crab meat is contributed by the crab catchers because they make the blue swimming crab available in the market from the wild. The cooked crab dealers contribute USD2.91 per kilogram or 32.62% of the value added by processing the cooked blue swimming crabs into higher value crab meat. Lastly, cooked crab dealers contribute USD1.04 per kilogram or 11.69% of the value added due to preliminary post-harvest processing conducted on the blue swimming crab. The result of the participatory systems analysis (PSA) revealed the establishment of a lying-in facility will be successful if there is an operational ordinance prohibiting catching of berried crabs, an ordinance prohibiting the use of illegal fishing gears, and provision technical assistance about blue swimming crab for fishers and other key players.