Inquirer file photo/Grig C. Montegrande
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is considering importing small pelagic fish such as round scad (galunggong) and vegetables to ease the impact of consecutive typhoons on local supply.
In a news briefing on Tuesday, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the proposed importation was aimed at preventing a hike in prices and ensuring a stable food supply.
De Mesa, also the DA spokesperson, said the agency was studying the proposal to import 8,000 metric tons (MT) of small pelagic fish including round scad, mackerel, moonfish, and bonito which, if approved, could arrive in the first two weeks of December.
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This would complement the importation of 30,000 MT of fish authorized by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. earlier this year to augment the country’s stockpile during the temporary fishing ban.
Implemented annually, the closed fishing season aims to protect target fish species during their peak spawning period and address other concerns such as overfishing and climate change.
De Mesa, however, said there was no shortage of fish and vegetables.
“We want to make sure that we won’t encounter any problems later on because, first, it’s closed fishing season. Second, there are a lot of typhoons. We are seeing some problems to arise,” he said.
As for vegetables, Tiu Laurel instructed the Bureau of Plant Industry and concerned DA personnel on high-value crops to look into the persistently high prices of both highland and lowland vegetables.
In particular, they were tasked with determining the volume, supply, and prevailing prices, and to submit a recommendation to the agriculture chief on possible strategies that could be adopted within the week.
“The priority is to source vegetables from other vegetable-producing areas and regions if that would be enough to temper the prices so that there is no need to import. But if there’s a necessity to import, we will do that,” De Mesa said.