THE Philippine government has approved the importation of 25,000 metric tons (MT) of frozen fish for wet market consumption, covering the closed fishing season months of November until January next year.
Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban issued Special Order (SO) 1002 Series of 2022 that outlined the guidelines on the implementation of the importation program.
The latest fish importation program of the government would allow the entry of frozen roundscad, bigeye scad, mackerel, bonito and moonfish for wet market sale.
Panganiban explained that the SO was issued to provide clear-cut guidance on the implementation of the approved certificate of necessity to import (CNI) fish for wet market consumption. The issuance of a CNI is required prior to any importation of fish for wet market consumption, based on existing rules and regulations.
The approved import volume would be allocated among registered importers belonging to the commercial fishing sector and to fisheries associations and cooperatives.
Under the rules, commercial fishers shall corner 80 percent of the total approved import volume while the remaining 20 percent will be shared among fisheries associations and cooperatives.
All the sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPSICs) under the 25,000-MT fish importation program will be issued by the government before December 15, with their validity being 45 days from date of issuance.
“No SPSICs under this CNI shall be deemed valid after January 30, 2023,” the SO read.
“The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) shall encourage the immediate disposal of the imported fish under CNI 25,000 MT to ensure that it will not overlap with the local catch by the end of the closed fishing season,” it added.
The SO stipulated that importers who are able to register within five working days from its issuance will qualify to participate in the importation program as long as they comply with the qualifications and requirements under Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 259.
The SO 1002 was signed and issued on November 10 by Panganiban. The order stipulated that it took effect immediately and will remain in force unless revoked in writing.
“The importers shall allow BFAR and PFDA Inspectors, BFAR quarantine officers, and law enforcers to conduct inspection and monitoring of the imported fish stored in the BFAR-registered storage facility, and provide the DA-BFAR a weekly summary of stocks inventory for the information of the undersigned,” it said.
“All qualified importers shall strictly comply with Food Safety Standards provided under the law and relevant regulations,” it added.
The importation rules do not allow transfer of allocation between importers and the SPSICs issued for the importation program are not extendable nor transferable.
The national government has been allowing imported fish in recent years, particularly during the closed fishing season, to augment local domestic fish supply and temper any possible price increases in the retail market.