Modern post-harvest facilities needed to sustain 鈥榯amban鈥� production
MANILA, Philippines — The government has to equip municipalities with modern post-harvest facilities for the fishing industry—like cold storage facilities—to ensure that production of tamban and other aqua products are sustained, Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan said on Wednesday.
Yamsuan in a statement explained that having a sustained production of tamban would allow the exportation of this fish to the global market, especially since tamban has been included in the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) or “Codex”, an international food standards for fish and fishery products.
This, Yamsuan said, would yield a positive impact on the livelihood of small-scale fisherfolk.
READ: DA: Local fish Tamban can now be exported
“Post harvest facilities, which are sorely lacking in the fisheries sector, are necessary to prepare for these export opportunities, along with helping small-scale fisherfolk raise their incomes, and create more jobs along the sardine industry’s supply chain,” Yamsuan said.
The lawmaker thanked the Department of Agriculture (DA) and its attached agencies for lobbying for tamban’s inclusion in the Codex.
Article continues after this advertisementIn a statement on Tuesday, the DA said that tamban or Herring fish can now be exported after it was deemed part of the Codex. According to the DA, the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization established the CAC to set global food safety standards to protect consumers and ensure fair trade practices.
Article continues after this advertisementDA also said that the tamban’s inclusion in the Codex came after six years of advocacy and technical discussions through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI).
“We acknowledge and thank the efforts of the Department of Agriculture, through the [BFAR] and the [NFRDI], in lobbying for the inclusion of ‘tamban’ in the Codex. This is certainly welcome news for our artisanal fisherfolk,” Yamsuan said.
“The next step is to ensure that ‘tamban’ and other locally grown and caught fish remain competitive products in the export market by providing our fisherfolk with adequate facilities and equipment to preserve the quality of their catch, which, in turn, would allow them to sell these at higher prices,” he added.
According to Yamsuan, he expects the government to maximize the inclusion of tamban in the Codex by providing modern facilities for drying, canning and bottling the fish variety as a sardine product.
“Adding value to their catch by providing them adequate post-harvest facilities is a key factor in helping our small fisherfolk rise above poverty, along with providing support in accessing markets and training them on ensuring the sustainability of our marine resources,” he said.
Yamsuan, chairperson of the House committee on aquaculture and fisheries resources, said that tamban and other local sardine fish are usually found in over the municipal waters of the Zamboanga peninsula, Bicol region, and Northern Mindanao.
