The Department of Agriculture has issued supplemental guidelines for importing up to 250,000 metric tons of frozen fish and aquatic products to keep supplies steady during the lean fishing season. Signed September 29 by Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. and released this week, Circular 53 adds performance-based rewards for reliable importers to rules first laid out in March.
At least 10,000 MT is reserved for Kadiwa stores. The rest splits as 192,000 MT for commercial importers and 48,000 MT for fisheries groups. Extra allocations go to those meeting utilization targets by October 31: commercial players get up to 560 MT more, while associations and cooperatives earn up to 112 MT. Leftover volume goes to top performers through November 30.
Covered products include crabs, prawns, shrimp, clams, oysters, squid, octopus, salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel, grouper, snapper, cod and more. Imports will fill gaps during closed seasons—November–February in the Visayan Sea and Zamboanga, November–January in Northeast Palawan, June–August in Davao Gulf—or during disasters.
For the industry, rules are clear and performance is rewarded. For consumers, fish stays available and prices stay stable when local catches fall.
