Domestic demand fuels large fish imports

THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Wednesday admitted that it was compelled to open the domestic market to imported fish because of the continued decline of domestic catch.

In a press conference, BFAR director Asis Perez said that domestic fish catch has dwindled significantly at an annual rate, forcing them to open up the local market to fish imported from China and Taiwan.

The BFAR chief noted that round scad fish (galunggong), anchovies (dilis), and sardine (tamban) were among the marine products the Philippines import from its neighboring countries.

Based on records, the BFAR chief said that about 900,000 metric tons (MT) of imported fish enter the country annually. Last year, marine product imports reached 800,000 MT, of which 60 percent is galunggong.

”Most of the imports are for institutional buyers who process seafood,” Perez explained.

He said that the fisheries subsector, which accounted for 20.7 percent of the total agriculture output, contracted at about 4.1 percent in 2011.

The fish production in the country is estimated at 6 million MT a year and about 55 percent comes from aquaculture and the rest is caught in open seas.

Of the aquaculture production last year, 30 percent is farmed fish with a 2.44-percent increase at 2.6 million MT.

Seaweeds account for the rest which gained around 1.84 million MT in January to December of 2011, Perez said.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) for this year is launching a “more aggressive program” on seaweeds farming in strategic areas as it seeks to displace imports of the commodity.

Not much production

Only 5 million MT of marine products was produced in 2011.

About 1.825 million MT was attributed from seaweeds, 782,435.64 MT from farmed fish, 1.039 million MT from commercial fisheries, while it was 1.332 million MT for municipal fisheries.

Despite the claim of many that galunggong is the poor man’s fish, that type of fish, which is known to be a cheap sources of protein, remains priced at P140 per kilo at the retail, while its wholesale price is at P125 per kilo.

Because the Philippines is struggling to meet the domestic demand for marine products, the government is keen on “formalizing” fish importation, Perez said.

”There would be a quota for imported fish to limit the amount to be sold in the wet markets,” he added.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) and support non-government organization networks announced also on Wednesday that a nationally coordinated protest will be staged on February 24 to oppose the government plan to import “galunggong” and other locally produced fish.

Pamalakaya National Chairman Fernando Hicap said that their regional and provincial chapters agreed to conduct simultaneous protest actions against the decision of the DA and the BFAR to open up the domestic market to fish imports, which he said will be extremely detrimental to small fishermen and local fish producers who catch the same types of fish for the local market.

Pamalakaya said the small fisherfolk and other local producers will suffer once DA and BFAR push through with their plans to import galunggong and other marine products. –JAMES KONSTANTIN GALVEZ reporter, Manila Times