THE Philippine government has approved the importation of 25,000 metric tons (MT) of fish to cover supply requirements for the closed fishing season months.
The Department of Agriculture (DA), on Nov. 10, issued Special Order No. 1002 series of 2022, which provides guidelines for the importation of 25,000 MT of frozen round scad or galunggong, bigeye scad, mackerel, bonito, and moonfish for wet markets during the closed fishing season beginning November this year until January 2023.
The order was signed by Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban.
Under the order, all import clearances in relation to the allowed 25,000 MT of frozen fish to be imported shall be issued on or before Dec. 15, 2022, with a validity period of 45 days from the date of issuance.
No import clearances shall be deemed valid after Jan. 30, 2023.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) was directed to encourage the immediate disposal of imported fish so that it will not overlap with the local catch by the end of the closed fishing season.
Importers who were able to register within five working days from the issuance of the order shall qualify to participate in the importation program, provided they are compliant with the qualifications and requirements.
Those who are disqualified from applying for import clearance are those with pending cases in relation to violations of food safety or importation rules and regulations, those who were not able to secure Bureau of Customs accreditation and/or clearance at the start of the importation period, and those who were not able to submit complete and updated requirements within five working days from the issuance of the order.
āAll qualified importers shall strictly comply with Food and Safety Standards provided under the law and relevant guidelines,ā read part of the DA order.
Transfer of allocated shall be prohibited, it said. (GMA Integrated News)
