Manila, Philippines – The new Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA) will be facing big challenges in regards to reforming the policies in the agri-fisheries sector, according to the progressive fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) on Friday, November 3.

In a statement, PAMALAKAYA urges newly-appointed DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. to ‘do away’ with liberalization policies that allow importation of agri-fisheries products at the expense of local food producers.

“The fishers are giving a standing order to the new DA Secretary to strengthen local food production by renouncing liberalization policies of importation of agricultural and fisheries products. From 2018 to 2022, we have monitored more than 200, 000 metric tons of various pelagic fishes imported from other countries like China and Taiwan. This is an insult not only to us being an archipelagic country, but also to millions of Filipinos involved in the fishing sector.

The DA Secretary should know that opening floodgates for imported fishery products poses drastic impacts to the livelihood of local fisherfolk. Cheap and inferior quality imported fish causes further price drop of local fishery products. For instance, every time the Philippine government allows importation of tens of thousands of metric tons of round scad (galunggong), the farm gate value of the aforementioned fish product further drops from P70-P80 per kilogram to P50-P60 per kilogram all-time low.

Aside from abandoning import-liberalization policies, we reiterate these demands to the DA in order to boost the productivity of small fishers and ultimately make the country food self-sufficient:

· Economic assistance in times of natural calamities especially typhoon and other ecological disturbances such as fish kill and red tide;

· Sufficient production subsidies amid the non-stop oil price hikes and other inflation;

· Ensuring that Filipino fishers are able to fully utilize our marine and aquatic resources within the territorial and traditional fishing grounds; and

· Prohibition of all forms of conversion and reclamation of coastal communities and fishing grounds that cause displacement of fisherfolk and irreversible destruction of marine and aquatic resources.

These are all doable measures to ensure that the country will not fall short on fisheries production and that our country can be food self-sufficient. All it takes is political will from the new agri chief to stand alongside the fisherfolk and farmers for significant and genuine reforms in the agriculture and fisheries,” Fernando Hicap, PAMALAKAYA National Chairperson said in a statement. ###