SCIENCE CITY OF MUÑOZ, Nueva Ecija ---- The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said Thursday it will first meet with fish manufacturers to see if it will intervene in the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) ban on importation of galunggong.

“We expect that as part of our regular meeting with the manufacturers, that (ban) will be addressed,” DTI Undersecretary for Communications Jose Edgardo Sunico said in an ambush interview at the sidelines of the Food Security Cluster Communication Workshop in PhilRice here.

“As a matter of fact, the manufacturers have planned regular meetings with the DTI on a regular basis. So there will be a special focus probably on this one to see if there are interventions that the DTI needs to do,” he added.

Sunico’s statements followed the DA’s issuance of a memorandum order that suspends the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance for the importation of round scad (galunggong), mackerel, and bonito.

The order came after the DA received reports that the said fish species intended for canning, processing, or institutional buyers were diverted to wet markets.

Mackerel exemption

Meanwhile, the DA said that importation of mackerel for canning purposes may be granted an exemption, provided that the volume thereof shall be based on the VATable sales of the canned product from the previous year with an additional 10 percent of the said sales for buffer.

The MO No. 14 Series of 2024 was issued on 1 April and will take effect 15 days after its issuance.