THE country’s fish unloading volume rose by over 9 percent in August, the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) reported.
In its latest briefer, the PFDA said the fish unloading volume in the reference month grew by 9.7 percent to 46,458.20 metric tons (MT) from the 42,354.45 MT posted in the same period last year.
The General Santos Fish Port Complex held the lion’s share of the total unloading record delivered to consumers in August at 23,716.08 MT. This was higher than the 19,718.79 MT recorded in the previous year.
PFDA noted that the Navotas Fish Port Complex, the largest RFP in the country, trailed behind as it unloaded 16,211.08 MT of fish, higher than the 15,809.70 MT of fish products delivered to consumers in the same period last year.
For its Luzon ports, the agency said the Lucena Fish Port Complex unloaded 1,752.3 MT of fish products in August, up from the previous year’s 1,669.05 MT.
The Bulan Fish Port Complex in Sorsogon delivered 860.9 MT of fish in the reference month, according to the agency. It was lower than the 1,328.10 MT last year.
The PFDA said the sole port in the Visayas-Iloilo Fish Port Complex-managed to supply 2,843.4 MT of fish to consumers in August, from 2,724.86 MT.
Meanwhile, the country’s Mindanao ports-Zamboanga Fish Port Complex and Davao Fish Port Complex-supplied 704.55 MT and 360.57 MT of fish, respectively.
The agency also said the Sual Fish Port delivered 9.31 MT of fish products in the reference month.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) earlier issued memorandum orders that allowed the Philippines to import fish and aquatic products.
Such a move is aimed at ensuring a stable supply amid successive typhoons and the upcoming closed fishing season.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. signed MO 47, which stipulated the guidelines on the implementation of the certificate of necessity to import (CNI) 55,000 MT of frozen fish for wet markets covering the period of October to December.
Only registered importers under Fisheries Administrative Order 259 can participate in the importation program under CNI 55,000 MT.
In a separate document, Laurel also issued MO 46, authorizing the importation of 22,000 MT of various frozen seafood. The CNI covers the period September to December.
Such an import order followed the National Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (NFARMC) recommendation to ‘provide a wider range of choices of affordable fish’ and ‘cater to the market demand.’