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The Department of Agriculture (DA) extends validity of fish import certificates to address supply gap
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The DA has extended the validity of the unused Certificate of Necessity to Import for 38,695 metric tons out of the total 60,000 MT signed early this year
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The extension is based on a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources report that the country faces a fish deficit of 90,000 MT for the rest of the year
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High fuel costs, closed fishing season in Davao contributed to the supply shortfall
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has extended the validity of unused fish import certificates to plug the country’s projected fish supply gap.
The DA order covers the unused Certificate of Necessity to Import (CNI) for 38,695 metric tons (MT) out of the total 60,000 MT signed early this year.
The extension is based on a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) report that the country faces a fish deficit of 90,000 MT for the rest of the year, DA said in a statement.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar in a statement said local fish catch and production from both marine waters and aquaculture, respectively, have decreased due to several factors.
Firstly, Palawan commercial fishing groups hardly went out due to high fuel cost, thus unloading of galunggong or roundscad declined considerably, Dar said.
Secondly, prices of bangus (milkfish) and tilapia have increased by at least P20 per kilogram (kg), from P160/kg to P180/kg for bangus, and P120/kg to P140/kg for tilapia. For roundscad, fresh catch sells for P240/kg, while imported ones retail for P210/kg to P240/kg.
Thirdly, fish catch would dwindle with the observance of a closed fishing season in Davao.
The signing last January of CNI for 60,000 MT of small pelagic fish came on the heels of significant damage to the fisheries subsector in the wake of typhoon Odette—which battered Visayas and Mindanao and parts of Luzon in December 2021—and reduced fish production due to the closed fishing season.
Dar said part of DA’s action plan is to enhance fish production in appropriate aquaculture and marine areas, in a sustainable manner.
Meanwhile, he disclosed that DA has released P1 billion to provide livelihood assistance to fishermen in Odette-affected areas.
He added that fishers, along with corn farmers, are given discount vouchers worth P3,000 each, through the DA’s Fuel Discount Program with a budget of P1.1 billion.
