Aquaculture boost needed to fill fish supply gap

MANILA, Philippines — An improved local aquaculture sector is seen filling the gap in the country’s fish supply instead of just relying on the importation of the commodity.

In a virtual briefing Monday, agricultural advocacy group Tugon Kabuhayan said boosting aquaculture would slowly stop the Philippines from importing galunggong and other small pelagic fishes.

“We are not entirely against it, but there is an opportunity for local producers to fill in the gap. What we are trying to say is to calculate (the importation) that it will not affect the local producers,” Tugon Kabuhayan convenor Asis Perez said.

The Department of Agriculture is already mulling the importation of 40,000 metric tons of fish to ensure stable supply of the commodity.

“They should assess it (volume) further. We have better weather condition now and aquaculture can help set up and fill the gaps,” Perez said.

Bangus and tilapia are among the major aquaculture commodities. Galunggong, on the other hand, is part of the captured fisheries.

The industry is also expected to help fill the anticipated supply gap once the government implements the three-month closed fishing season for galunggong starting Nov. 1.

The move aims to protect the galunggong species during its peak spawning season from November until end-January.

Perez said local aquaculture could help address consumer demand to cover the supply of fish during the implementation of the closed season. Aquaculture accounts for more than half of the country’s total fish production.

Latest price monitoring showed that galunggong is priced at P170 to P240 per kilogram compared to tilapia and bangus which are only priced at P90 to P140 a kilo.

To help local producers, Tugon Kabuhayan appealed for government support in promoting patronage for local products.

“One way on how we can increase local production is by increasing demand instead of just resorting to importation and we know we can increase because prices of aquaculture commodities are currently low,” he said.