Despite the importation of 60,000 metric tons of fish due to the closed fishing season, a food security advocacy group said the government has still failed to lower the price of galunggong.
According to the Tugon Kabuhayan group, based on the latest market monitoring by the Department of Agriculture, such fish is still playing at P200 per kilo, which is considered mass.
In other markets, the price of galunggong is said to be as high as P240 per kilo.
“Unnecessary importation is affecting the local fishing sector, and prices are not going down right now,” said former Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) director at Tugon Kabuhayan convenor Asis Perez.
According to Perez, the local aquaculture sector feels the adverse effects of the DA’s move to import 60,000 metric tons of fish such as galunggong.
The DA has not yet reacted to Perez’s statement.
Prices of galunggong still high even with imports – group
Last August, DA Secretary William Dar approved the Certificate of Necessity to Import (CNI) of 60,000 metric tons of fish, which includes galunggong, mackerel, and bonito, to be sold in public wet markets, specifically in Metro Manila and other areas. that the fish shop was short.
This was done to fill the potential shortage of fish supply in the country during the closed fishing season, particularly in the latter part of the year.
But according to Perez, based on the National Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council and Navotas Fishing Operators, only 30,000 metric tons will be affected by the fish supply in the three-month closed fishing season. Still, the DA has allowed 60,000 metric tons to be imported.
Perez added that the high price of fish is one of the reasons why the inflation rate in the country has risen.
“This was also due to expensive crude oil prices that impacted transport costs, as well as inclement weather that has forced up prices for fish. The tight supply of fish right now is also due to the ongoing closed fishing season in some spawning grounds, including Palawan, Visayan Sea, and Zamboanga by next month,” he explained.
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