The importation of fish — including frozen round scad (galunggong), bonito (tulingan) and mackerel (alumahan) — has been suspended.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) ordered the suspension after the agency said it received reports that these commodities “were being diverted to wet markets to the detriment of local fisherfolk.”
The DA issued Memorandum Order No. 14, which will put on hold the issuance of import clearances for these fishery products intended solely for canning and processing and for institutional buyers catering to the requirements of hotels and restaurants.
The order, which was signed by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on April 1, will take effect 15 days after its issuance.
The last time the DA imposed an import suspension due to such diversion was in December 2022.
According to the memo, “The top commodities that are identified as prone to diversion [to local wet markets] are round scad, bonito and mackerel.”
The DA further said the order excludes the importation of mackerel for canning purposes, “provided that the volume should be based on the sales of the canned product from the previous year plus an additional 10 percent for buffer.”
The DA memo further said all mackerel imports entering the country should carry the following label: “Imported Under FAO (Fisheries Administrative Order) No. 195 for Canning Purposes Only and not for Sale or Distribution to Wet Markets and Supermarkets.”
Earlier, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) spokesperson Nazario Briguera said the diversion of these fish varieties to wet markets “could disrupt the supply and demand” and “would have a repercussion on the local fishery industry,” reports said.
FAO No. 1995 allows institutional buyers to source fish and fishery/aquatic products from abroad, but only for canning and processing and when certified as necessary by the agriculture secretary to achieve food security.
Institutional buyers refer to entities or corporations authorized to import fish for final consumption or processing as food requirements for accredited hotels and restaurants.
The BFAR however said this has led to the diversion of some of the imported fish to wet markets, which caused prices to go down, affecting local fisherfolk. With Othel Campos