3 weeks ago
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February 22, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has approved the importation of 25,000 metric tons (MT) of various frozen seafood such as salmon, squid, scallops and sardines to boost domestic supply and prevent a spike in the prices of the concerned commodities.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. issued Memorandum Order 12, which provides the guidelines on the implementation of the certificate of necessity to import (CNI) covering the period from March to May.
The importation allows the entry of 40 fish products of various species. The issuance of the CNI also allows the imported frozen fish items to be sold to wet markets and supermarkets.
“This will add variety in the market, especially for the food service industry, since fish and marine species covered by this importation are mostly fish and marine products not caught locally,” Tiu Laurel said in a separate statement.
“This should not affect local fishermen and should help in the ease of doing business,” he added.
The approved fish species to be imported under the CNI are salmon, sardines, gindara, pangasius, tuna by-products, hamachi, swordfish, barramundi and fish meat.
Also allowed to be imported are alaskan pollock, oilfish, halibut, cod/black cod, hake, croaker, chilean seabass, marlin, silverfish/silver sillago, eel, mullet, cobia, capelin, moonfish, yellowtail sole and hoki.
The DA also approved the importation of lobster, scallops, mussels (black, green-lipped, blue), clams, red snapper, grouper, flounder, emperor, sea bream, bluefin tuna, oyster, smelt, soft/hard shell crab, octopus and squid.
Sources told The STAR that the approved species per fish product are foreign ones that do not thrive or cannot be caught locally in the country, thus does not compete directly with those that local fishers catch and sell in the domestic market.
Fisheries and Aquaculture Board chair Chingling Tanco told The STAR that the imported fish species would be sold to wet markets and supermarkets, boosting domestic supplies and would help arrest possible price spikes in fish commodities.
The imported fish products may also be sold to other markets including hotels and restaurants, Tangco added.
Tiu Laurel said those who can participate in the importation should be accredited for at least one year prior to the issuance of the order, and registered importers under Fisheries Administrative Order 259 who participated in any previous CNI.
“All importers who complied may qualify to import, provided that all accreditation and registration documents are updated and complete,” the agriculture chief said in his order.
Tiu Laurel added that importers with pending cases or investigations in relation to violations of any food safety or importation rules and regulations are disqualified from participating in the importation.
He said an initial volume of 28 metric tons shall be allocated to each qualified importer.
“The remaining volume shall be allocated to the qualified importers on a first come first serve basis,” Tiu Laurel added.
