Group: Hiking fish output hinges on policy reforms, govt support

INCREASING the production of the country’s fisheries subsector will require policy reforms and adequate government support, according to fishers belonging to Tugon Kabuhayan.

T he group told reporters in a press briefing that boosting fish production would help the government achieve its goal ensuring the Philippines’s food security.

“ We are happy with the President’s focus on agriculture, including the fisheries and aquatic sector. This is a step in the right direction. The next possible step is the creation of a technical working group with government and the private sector to craft and draft policies to ensure the development of the sector,” it said.

Norbert Chingcuangco, co-convenor of Tugon Kabuhayan said “for the longest time, we’re just a mess with the BFAR [Bureau of Fisheries

AGLOBAL biofuel boom is set to drive a shortage of vegetable oils—used for cooking and now increasingly to power trucks and planes—intensifying a debate over food versus fuel.

From the United States to Brazil and Indonesia, governments are embracing energy made from plants like soybeans or canola, or even animal fat, to move away from fossil fuels and cut emissions. This has created opportunities for vegetable oils, especially palm oil, an ubiquitous but controversial ingredient found in products like pizza dough, instant noodles, chocolate and shampoo.

D emand is so hot that producers are hunting for used cooking oil and sludge, a waste product from processing palm oil, as feedstocks for biofuels.

T hese lofty ambitions may face challenges. War and extreme weather are limiting vegetable oil supplies. A severe drought has devastated production in Argentina, the top exporter of soybean oil. In Europe, restrictions on using bee-toxic pesticides will curb planting of rapeseed that relies on the pollinators, while Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine will slash sunflower oil exports.

With growth in vegetable oil production expected to slow, biofuels could push the global market into a deficit in the second half of the year, according to Thomas Mielke, executive director of Hamburg-based Oil World.

B iofuels account for a large share of the vegetable oil market but only a fraction of energy demand, Mielke said. He’s concerned that combined biofuel targets are and Aquatic Resources], the BFAR is a mess with the DA.”

By putting up the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, we can prevent what happened last time when the importation of vital ingredients to fish feeds was unceremoniously prohibited. Structural reform in the sector will address so many problems. Even now, it is easier to import fish products than to import ingredients needed to produce more local fish.”

Policy reforms and strong government support, the group said will allow the fisheries subsector to immediately recover from accidents such as the Oriental Mindoro oil spill and fight illegal fishing which robs 2 million registered municipal fishermen of livelihood.

We should look at municipal fishing, commercial fishing, and aquaculture as a whole and not as different sectors. All provide food for the country. The government should give support to our municipal fishermen because they are the backbone of our industry,” said Dennis Calvan, a member of Tugon Kabuhayan.

We ask President Marcos to address the issue of illegal fishing which causes annual losses of about 257,000 to 402,000 tons valued between P24 [billion] to P37 billion for our fishermen.”

T he group asked the government to “strengthen” fish landing centers by equipping it with cold storage facilities and ice plants as this will prevent fishermen from incurring losses.

Tugon Kabuhayan proposed other reforms for a self-sustaining fisheries and aquaculture sector: long-term permits for sea cages for bangus (milkfish) and tilapia which are now renewed every year, and improvement throughout the value chain from hatchery to nursery to growing to storage. Raadee S. Sausa overdoing what the global market for oils and fats can satisfy.

T he US, Europe, Brazil and Indonesia are responsible for most of the biodiesel, renewable diesel and biojet fuel consumption growth. The US uses a mixture of feedstocks such as soybean oil, rapeseed oil, used cooking oil and animal fats. Europe is producing from wastes, residues and rapeseed oil. Indonesia mainly uses palm oil to produce biodiesel, while Brazil relies on soybean oil.

T his trend is widely expected to benefit palm oil, a product that’s come under scrutiny in recent years amid reports of deforestation and forced labor. With rival oilseeds and vegetable oils being used increasingly in biofuels, some of the demand will spill over to palm, according to James Fry, chairman of Oxford-based agriculture consult - ing firm LMC International Ltd. ket already, good price. A challenge because this is an export market. We need to produce better durian fruits and a more food safe. So hopefully, the association, together with the DA, can help these farmers to reach that market,” he said.

But the palm oil market may not be able to keep pace. Production in Indonesia and Malaysia, which together account for 85 percent of world supply, are plateauing due to the slow replanting of old and unproductive trees, erratic weather, and as deforestation curbs limit landbank expansion.

T hreats to supply, particularly from climate change, will push up agricultural prices and slow the world’s efforts at converting food into fuel, said Dorab Mistry, an influential trader who’s worked in the industry for four decades.

T he International Energy Agency has warned that swelling demand for biofuels and a looming feedstock crunch, if not addressed, will undermine the potential for biofuels to contribute to global decarbonization efforts.

Belviz said durian will be one of the country’s top export products in the next five years.

T he DA said the Davao regional field office is working on a five-year development plan for the durian industry that will “intensify technical support and the provision of quality planting materials, fertilizer and pesticide, equipment and tools, as well as the establishment of postharvest facilities.”

“ Plant more durian because ang market, ang demand ng durian ay napakalaki , especially with the opening of the Chinese market, sobrang laki at sobrang kulang ng durian natin dito. I encourage everyone to plant more durian,” Belviz said.