In a press release Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala has announced a cut of 0.2 percent on tuna export fee imposed in 2010 as a means to make canned and fresh tuna shipped out of Gen. Santos City more attractive in the global market. The government has announced this cut on the recommendation of the National Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (NFARMC).
NFARMC has suggested the impost in the first place, relented as the clamor for its abolition spread in the fishing industry. It recommended a steep reduction of the fee in a meeting held on July 22. Alcala said that the impost was slapped to industry players under Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 233 issued in 2010, largely on the basis of NFARMC’s recommendation.
Asis G. Perez, national director of BFAR, said that the reduced fee is equivalent to P1,650 or 0.2 percent of fish raw material value computed from the previous year’s average wholesale price, whichever is higher, based on price surveys of the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS.) According to the industry the export levy is an additional burden and a disincentive to them since it raises the prices of tuna and its byproducts, making them less competitive in the foreign market, said the SOCSKSARGEN Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries, Inc. (SFFAII.)
Sixty percent of the country’s tuna catch is unloaded at General Santos City, which is the country’s tuna capital. The tuna industry is presently facing hard times as a result of a ban on fishing in the high seas imposed by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) since January 1, 2010.
