PH to import 25k metric tons of fish until January 2023

STARTING November to January 2023 at least 25,000 metric tons of frozen fish will flood Philippine markets as the Department of Agriculture gives green light to fish importation.

Included in the importation of fish were big-eyed scad (matangbaka), round scad, mackerel (alumahan), bonito (tulingan), and moonfish (bilong-bilong).

According to the fishery agency, this initiative will help increase supply in wet markets during the closed fishing season (November to January) and to provide for a clear and efficient implementation of Fisheries Administrative Order No. 259, Series of 2018 (FAO 259). 

Fish importation clearances shall be issued on or before December 15, with the validity period of 45 days from the date of issuance.  

Following this rule, there would be no fish import clearances shall be deemed valid after January 30, 2023, to also ensure that it will not overlap with the local catch by the end of the closed fishing season. 

In a Special Order No. 1002 series of 2022, DA noted that the 80 percent of the Maximum Importable Volume shall be allocated based on the fish landings of the commercial fishing operators for the past three years immediately preceding this importation period as certified by any of the following: PFDA port manager, BFAR regional director, or municipal port administrator.  

“For the fisheries associations/cooperatives, the 20 percent of the Maximum Importable Volume shall be allocated based on their disposition reports from the immediate preceding importation period,” it added. 

Last October, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said during the Senate hearing that the issuance of fish importation permits had already stopped since March of this year. 

BFAR IV-A Regional Director Sammy Malvas said that the validity of the importation permits already expired by June to July this year. 

Meanwhile, PAMALAKAYA, an activist fishers’ group, opposed DA’s plan to import 25,000 metric tons of fish, saying that opening our floodgates for cheap imported fish will further depreciate the farm gate value of local fish. 

“How disappointing that in the midst of the crisis in agri-fisheries production, the Marcos administration still chooses to import at the further expense of our local fishing industry,” Ronnel Arambulo, PAMALAKAYA national spokesperson said in a statement.