CLARK FREEPORT – A group representing the country’s small fisherfolk decried yesterday the government’s plan to allow liberal importation of scud fish or galunggong before the ban on harvesting such fish variety this November.
The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) president Fernando Hicap said the “proposal of Agriculture Sec. Emmanuel Piñol to allow importation of galunggong for direct sale to market before the closed fishing season in November will further downgrade the value of aquatic and marine products of Filipino fisherfolk.”
Piñol said he would be allowing not only traders, but also fisherfolk and fish vendors associations to import.
“Piñol’s proposal is absurd. He knows that small fisherfolk are incapable of importing fish and only commercial fishing firms and giant traders will only benefit from this import-dependent scheme. Piñol will facilitate the profit-generation of traders and importers at the cost of livelihood of Filipino fishers,” Hicap said.
He warned that “flooding the local market with imported fish products will put the local food producers at the losing end.”
Pamalakaya also questioned the planned closed fishing season for galunggong amid reports that its production dropped by 9.5 percent in the first half of 2018 as reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
“Only giant commercial fishing fleets,” the group added, “will benefit from the closed fishing season as they are the ones who exploit the fish species in the municipal waters.”
Statistics have shown that commercial fishers account for 17.8 percent of galunggong produce, while small fishers produce only 6.2 percent, the group noted.
“This means galunggong harvest is being monopolized by big fish firms and the ban this November would only to allow galunggong reproduction for them,”the group added.
Pamalakaya urged Piñol not to push through with his unlimited importation proposal or he would face the strong resistance of Filipino fisherfolk as well as consumers who will be primarily affected by this liberalization scheme.
