Philippines’ Department of Agriculture is considering giving permission for importing pelagic fish, including round scad and mackerel, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported on 3 October.
The department’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources made the request as the domestic market is facing a shortfall in supply with prices on the rise, Agriculture Secretary William Dar was quoted as saying.
This is not the first time that the agency has come up with the import plan of the fish. Last year, it allowed imports of 45,000 metric tons (MT) of pelagic fish, with the same reasons.
The agriculture department had 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.
Local round scad is currently priced at PHP 240 (USD 4.95, EUR 4.22) per kilogram, higher than the usual rate of PHP 180 (USD 3.71, EUR 3.17) per kilogram, data from the department showed.
With the rise in prices, round scad should not be regarded as a “poor man’s fish” in the country, the National Federation of Small Fisherfolk Organization in the Philippines said.
Dar said the decision for the imports this year is likely to be made next week, with volumes not expected as high as in 2019. But he raised the need to go ahead with the imports of pelagic fish as the country is expected to only reap the fruits from its aquaculture development plans until the first quarter of 2021.
Meanwhile, fishermen of tuna and crab in the Philippines are trying to offload their excess products as exports have become more difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Philippines has confirmed 324,762 cases of coronavirus infection, with 5,840 deaths from COVID-19 as of 5 October, according to its government data.
Photo courtesy of Firdaus Mahadi/Shutterstock
