THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said Friday that it has approved certificates of necessity to import (CNI) for 60,000 metric tons (MT) of fish, in order to increase supply during the latest lockdown and to offset the impact of the closed season in major fishing grounds.
In a statement, the DA said the approved imports cover species such as round scad (galunggong), mackerel, and bonito, with the imports to be sold in public wet markets in Metro Manila and other areas with fish deficits.
“The CNI is valid from Sept. 2 until December 2021, with the approved quantity being slightly lower than the supply deficiency projected by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) of 65,000 MT in the fourth quarter,” the DA said.
Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said: “Our primordial concern is to enhance and sustain the development of our fisheries sector, and provide our fellow citizens affordable fish on the table,” Mr. Dar said.
Mr. Dar said the decision was made on the recommendation of the BFAR, in coordination with the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA), and in consultation with the National Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (NFARMC) as well as the fishing industry.
The DA said the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) recommended a cap on imports of 200,000 MT for the fourth quarter of 2021 and first quarter of 2022.
According to the DA, closed season is in force in the Davao Gulf (June 1 to Aug. 31), Visayan Sea (Nov. 15 to Feb. 15), Sulu Sea (Dec. 1 to Feb. 28), and Northeast Palawan (November to January) to allow the regeneration of small pelagic fish and other species.
Mr. Dar also signed Administrative Order No. 22 Friday, which lays out the guidelines for the implementation of the CNI.
Under the order, only importers of good standing and compliant with food safety guidelines will be allowed to participate.
It added that interested importers should have imported at least 70% of the total volume assigned to them during the previous importation period, and are not involved in illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
The order also provided that the imported fish should arrive within 20 days from receipt of the sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPSIC), and prescribed an auction to determine allocations from the 60,000 MT.
“The BFAR will process the SPSICs of winning (auction participants) and endorse them to the DA Secretary for approval. Transfer of allocation is not allowed. Importers should sell the imported fish at P88 per kilogram wholesale, based on the 2020 CNI fish auction conducted by BFAR, or lower as a result of the cost unbundling for imported small pelagic fishes,” the order said.
“From the Customs Clearing House, the importer should directly unload the imported frozen/chilled fish at its BFAR-registered cold storage facility and trade the imported products at the PFDA fish ports or PFDA-designated trading areas,” it added. – Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
