The Philippines will increase the imports of round scad and other species to meet local demand, as prices of round scad have risen recently amid low supply.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar has given the green light to the Philippines’ Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to proceed with a plan to import 45,000 metric tons (MT) of small pelagic fish, including round scad, The Philippine Star reported 9 December.
Of the total, BFAR has already issued clearance for permits to import 10,000 MT which it had said previously will comprise mostly round scad, mackerel, squid, and bonito.
“We will look at it in the next two weeks if the 45,000 MT is enough for the need of the country and enough to bring down prices,” Dar said, adding that the Agriculture Department is also considering raising the imports to 100,000 MT.
Dar said the increased imports are needed because the Philippines was hit hard by typhoon Tisoy which caused damages to fishing activities at major regions like Eastern Visayas and Mimaropa.
The Philippines produced 40,659 MT of round scad in the third quarter of this year, down 7.5 percent, as fishermen unloaded the fish of smaller sizes and extreme weather conditions affected fishing activities.
Data from the department showed that local round scad is currently priced between PHP 240 to PHP 280 (USD 4.72 to USD 5.51, EUR 4.26 to EUR 5.00) per kilogram, higher than the usual rate of PHP 180 (USD 3.54, EUR 3.20) per kilogram, the article said.
The higher price of the round scad is because of the seasonal demand and a recent fishing ban. Fishing activities are prohibited in the waters of Palawan and Zamboanga in three months until 1 March next year.
The rise in the price of the round scad had pushed inflation in the Philippines to increase in the second half of last year as the supply was affected by the tax reform package of the government, particularly on the excise tax on fuel.
The agriculture department had, therefore, allowed imports of fresh or chilled or frozen round scad from September 2018 to April 2019, with 117,000 MT of the fish imported during the period.
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