Importing around 25,000 metric tons of galunggong is needed to augment supply during the closed fishing season in Palawan which is the main source, the head of a fish trading group said Monday.

In an interview with dzBB, Association of Fresh Fish Traders of the Philippines president Roderick Santos said: ''The certificate of the necessity to import is issued every year when it’s the closed fishing season in Palawan. That starts from November 1 until January 31.''

''Ninety percent of galunggong produced goes to Manila. So when all the fishing operations stop, we won’t be able to get any locally-produced galunggong,” Santos said.

“So the declaration of the necessity to import is to make up for the lack of supply. It’s not too much because it goes through the National Farm Council. They approved that, together with all the stakeholders,” he added.

Santos said the required amount of galunggong to be imported is usually around 50,000 metric tons but the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) recommended 25,000 metric tons so imported fish will not flood the market.

The wholesale prices of local and imported galunggong have increased, Santos added.

Local galunggong is sold at 200 per kilo while imported ones are sold from P100 to P120 per kilo.

“It’s more expensive because it’s the off-season. There’s not much fish to catch. That’s the law of supply and demand,” Santos said. Jaspearl Tan/DMS