Galunggong price remains around P200/kilo despite importation – fishers group

Metro Manila, Philippines — The price of round scad, locally called galunggong, remained around P200 per kilo despite an importation of 35,000 metric tons of the fish species this month, a fishers group said on Sunday, Oct. 20.

La Union members of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) inspected markets in San Fernando City to check the prices of galunggong.

“Malinaw na walang katotohanan ang sinasabing bababa ang presyo ng isda sa pagpasok ng mga imported dahil mga komersyante pa rin naman ang nagtatakda ng presyo sa merkado,” Pamalakaya vice chairperson Ronnel Arambulo said in a statement.

[Translation: It is clear that there is no truth to their claim that prices of fish will go down when imported ones come in because merchants set the market price.]

“Sa katunayan, ang presyo ng farm gate lamang ang higit na bumabagsak dahil ginagawang batayan ng mga trader ang mababang presyo ng mga imported at bilasang isda para baratin ang ating mga mangingisda,” he added.

[Translation: In fact, farm gate prices further drop because traders use the low prices of imported stale fish to take advantage of our fishermen.]

Pamalakaya said it is also monitoring the farmgate prices of fish in other provinces.

Arambulo said both local fishers and consumers are on the losing end of the policy.

The group appealed again to stop import-liberalization policies that do not benefit local agriculture and fisheries production.

NewsWatch Plus reached out to the Agriculture Department for a comment but has yet to receive a reply as of posting time.