Fish growers ask gov’t to ‘reconsider’ import plan

LAKESHORE FISHING Locals have returned to fishing in Taal Lake in September since Taal volcanic activities had eased. Fish cage operators across Taal Lake said 30 percent of their cages were damaged by the eruption, but the industry is on track to a gradual recovery. —CLIFFORD NUÑEZ

SAN PEDRO CITY, Laguna, Philippines — Fish growers in Taal Lake in Batangas province have opposed the government’s plan to import fish, saying this could only stall the industry’s recovery from damage wrought by Taal Volcano’s eruption and the low market demand due to the new coronavirus pandemic.

In Pampanga, tilapia growers are planning to present this week’s actual figures of an “oversupply” to show government decision-makers that an importation at this time would be unnecessary.

Jon Juico, president of the Philippine Tilapia Stakeholders Association, was confident that there was more than enough supply of tilapia.

He cited that the normal culture period of four to five months for tilapia had since been extended to seven to eight months. This means the reduced demand for the fish prompted farmers to keep their stocks in the pond or delay the harvest, he said.

Preeruption level

In Luzon, the top three producers of cultured fish are the tilapia ponds in Pampanga province, the fish cages in Batangas, and fish pens in the Laguna Lake.

The Taal Lake Aquaculture Alliance Inc. (TLAAI) wrote Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Secretary Eduardo Gongona and Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas over the weekend to ask the government to “reconsider” its import plan, given its possible “detrimental effects” on aquaculture. The alliance claims more than 3,000 members.

Actually, the BFAR recommended the importation specifically of round scad (galunggong) and mackerel to check the rising prices of fish in the market, but the growers said it would have a domino effect on other fish competitors, like tilapia and bangus.

Mario Balazon, TLAAI spokesperson, said his group feared that it would suffer the same fate as that of palay farmers after recent imports of rice from Vietnam and Thailand pushed down the price of local produce to P12 to P15 per kilo.

Domino effect

“We are still recovering from the effects of the recent Taal Volcano eruption but we are on track to return to preeruption supply levels. In terms of demand, we have also felt lower demand due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and we still see a slow return to normal demand levels,” the alliance said in its letter.

Taal’s phreatic eruption in January damaged 30 percent of the fish cages in Taal Lake, which normally produced 120 to 150 tons of tilapia a day. Since the fish growers resumed operation, Batangas currently produces 100 tons a day, Balazo said.

The current farm-gate price of tilapia from Batangas is P85 to P90 per kilo, while those from Pampanga, which supplies fish mainly to central and northern Luzon, is P68 to P70. Tilapia grown in Batangas, which uses feeds, grow larger in size (two to three pieces per kilo) than those from Pampanga (four to five pieces).

Juico said feed mills were already demanding payment for farmers’ loans.

In 2019, the government imported 45,000 metric tons of pelagic fish but that did very little to lower the market price of galunggong, he said.