The Department of Agriculture (DA) has issued a memorandum circular (MC) containing the guidelines on the certificate of necessity to import 35,000 metric tons (MT) of frozen fish for wet markets from October to December.
The imports will support local fish supply during the annual closed fishing season in northern Palawan from November 1 to January 31.
Under MC No. 36 series of 2023 signed by DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban on Tuesday, frozen fish to be allowed for importation period include round scad, big eye scad, mackerel, bonito and moonfish.
The commercial fishing sector will be allotted 80 percent of the 35,000 MT maximum importable volume (MIV) or 28,000 MT based on the fish landings of each of the commercial fishing operators. For fisheries associations and cooperatives, 20 percent of the MIV or 7,000 MT will be allocated based on their percentage arrival from the immediately preceding importation period.
The document added sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPSICs) under the importation will be issued in two tranches with the first one to be issued for the entire month of October and the other tranche by November 6 to 30.
The DA said importers must have a cold storage facility or cold storage warehouse lease agreement before the issuance of SPSICs. Importers are mandated to comply with food safety standards as they must also source their supply from “respectable sources” not derived from illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Transfer of import allocations are also not allowed by the MC.
Importers are encouraged to immediately trade the imported fish to ensure that there is no overlapping with the local catch by the end of the closed fishing season.
