THE Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) has approved the importation of 25,000 metric tons (MT) of frozen fish commodities to suffice local supply.
BFAR said the approval was made under the Memorandum Order No. 17 which governs the importation of 25,000 MT of frozen small pelagic fish for wet markets between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 this year.
“We usually import every year to ensure that supply is stable during [the] closed fishing season,” BFAR spokesperson Nazario Briguera said.
Under the memorandum, 80 percent of the maximum importable volume totaling 20,000 MT will be granted to commercial importers, while the remaining 20 percent or 5,000 MT, will be given to fishing associations and cooperatives.
The order outlines the guidelines for applications for import permits during the fishing season implemented annually—from Nov. 15 to Feb. 15 of the following year in the Visayan Sea and Zamboanga Peninsula and from Nov. 1 to Jan. 1 in northeast Palawan.
Under the memo, all fish imports should arrive no later than Jan. 15, 2025. “The BFAR shall encourage the importers to immediately trade the imported fish to ensure that it will not overlap with the local catch by the end of the closed fishing season,” the directive said.
