Food security advocacy group Tugon Kabuhayan (Tugon) said the country has sufficient fish supply amid concerns regarding the current restiveness of Taal Volcano.
In a news statement issued on Wednesday, the group said they are “closely monitoring” the situation together with the Taal Lake Aquaculture Alliance Inc. The group noted that Taal Volcano’s eruption last year only caused minor damage to tilapia fish cages in the lake.
“While our top priority is the safety of our fisherfolk and aquaculture workers, our group is confident of meeting growing demand. We have plenty of tilapia in Taal Lake and other fish grow[ing] areas in the country,” the group added.
The group said there are more anticipated fish supply to be available in the market as the closed season of round scad or galunggong ended last January 31.
The group added that fish prices would even decrease in the following months based on previous years’ trend wherein the prices of galunggong and bangus went down by as much as P50 to P60 a kilo.
“We’re confident that our population can still be nourished despite increasing prices of most commodities as fish becomes more available and more affordable. Apart from this positive trend, the aquaculture industry is also ready to further contribute in steadying the supply,” the group said.
Chinoy bizmen assures support, cooperation
THE Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII), meanwhile, called for cooperation across industries to support government policies and reforms to ensure the stability of food supply and prices in the country.
FFCCCII President Dr. Henry Lim Bon Liong issued the appeal as the nation continues to reel from the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“All sectors should support reforms that promote our Philippine food security,” he said. “Let us cooperate to help ensure stable food prices as we work for start of Philippine economic recovery this year.”
The umbrella federation of over 170 Filipino Chinese chambers in the country backed national efforts to secure food supply in the country, especially during the pandemic.
“We support policies and reforms by government to increase production of our hogs, chicken and other foods, for the sake of continued stability of supplies and prices,” Dr. Lim said.
The leader of the FFCCCII cited, for instance, the accessibility of farm-to-market roads with the modernization of rural infrastructures under the “Build, Build, Build” program of the Duterte administration.
He also noted the financial and technical assistance to producers and farmers nationwide.
Given the limited stock of pork in Metro Manila, he commended the government’s initiative to allocate P27 billion worth of assistance for commercial hog raisers to help them repopulate in their respective areas.
On the part of the state’s agricultural arm, he welcomed Agriculture Secretary William Dar’s announcement that the agency will offer loans to market vendors and financial aid to hog transporters severely affected by the two-month price cap on pork and chicken products in Metro Manila.
“The temporary pork supply shortfall is not just here in the Philippines, it is a regional challenge since 2018, so government reforms seeking to boost hog production are very positive steps,” Dr. Lim said.
According to him, the DA and Filipino farmers are laudable for their collective efforts that enable the agricultural sector to register positive growth despite the global crisis and economic slowdown last year.
These include Dar’s “Plant, Plant, Plant” program that promotes food sufficiency and the launching of the joint project of SL AgriTech, Go Negosyo and DA called the Masagana 300 that encourages and honors rice farmers who achieve 300 cavans harvest per hectare utilizing modern hybrid rice technologies.
Confident that these ongoing initiatives will continue to yield positive outcomes, Dr. Lim expects that the agriculture industry still has “a good year this 2021.”
Sardine open fishing season
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) lifted the three-month closed fishing season in the Visayan sea for sardines last Tuesday.
In a separate news statement on Wednesday, BFAR, an attached bureau of the Department of Agriculture, said the closed fishing season in the Visayan sea was lifted at midnight of February 16.
Since 2013, the government has placed the Visayan sea and its vicinities under closed fishing season from November 15 to February 15 to ensure the protection and conservation of sardines and herrings.
The measure, stipulated under Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 167-3, Series of 2013, also seeks to protect mackerels in the said fishing ground during their spawn period, BFAR said.
The Visayan sea accounted for about 4.03 percent or around 15,782.52 metric tons of the total sardine output of 391,175.92 metric tons (MT) last year.
“Knowing its importance to our country’s economy and overall food security, it is our duty to protect these species from further degradation using a science-based approach to fisheries management, parallel with the strategies of the OneDA approach to effect transformation in the agro-fishery sector,” DA-BFAR National Director Eduardo B. Gongona said.
Gongona noted that the sardine closed season is integrated in the National Sardines Management Plan (NSMP), which seeks to “work towards the sustainability of the sardine industry in the country.”
The NSMP aims to establish improved science-based indicators for the sustainability of sardine stocks, to improve distribution of benefits among sardine fisherfolk communities, and to strengthen science-based management for sustainable sardine fisheries industry, according to BFAR. With Roderick Abad