A black or white choice

With export manufacturing capabilities and competitiveness continuously diminishing, the agricultural sector has to beef up its contribution to the economy and increase its export revenue contributions. We cannot merely rely on overseas Filipino workers’ earnings to keep our economy afloat.

But as the agricultural sector struggles to gain a share of the expanding regional market, it is faced with various issues and conflicting choices. Take for instance the local prawn industry. It is now on a bumpy road, and needs to decide quickly how to get back on the right track.

Before the prawn export decline in the 1990s, the Philippines established itself as a major producer in the Asian region, competing with the likes of Thailand and Taiwan. At that time, the local prawn export boom saved the Negros Occidental sugar producers from low prices of sugar in the world market as many shifted to grow-out farming of the black tiger prawn variety.

Japan was the biggest buyer then. But as the regional marketing skirmishes heightened, Philippine exporters lost out to its more aggressive competitors. Although Thailand and Taiwan subsequently suffered setbacks due to diseases that plagued the black tiger prawn specie, they managed to make a timely shift and moved towards the commercialization of the exotic vannamei or Pacific white shrimp specie. They are now reliving their glory days of shrimp exportation.

Shifting to white

In the Philippines, efforts to commercialize vannamei are underway. After so much opposition from traditional growers of black tiger, particularly the pioneering Negros prawn producers in the Visayas region, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center are jointly overseeing production trials in a quarantined facility in Pangasinan.

Unlike the first production trials last year that was scrapped because of a breach of protocols and the occurrence of shrimp diseases, the ongoing trials are now conducted under very rigid conditions and much improved protocols. The results of the second production trials will provide information for risk assessment and will be used to create guidelines in managing the risk associated with the introduction of vannamei for possible commercialization.

Gaining local acceptance

Currently, vannamei is being produced primarily for the local market. The volume is still too small to merit the interest of processors. It is however, gaining acceptance from local fastfood chains and Chinese restaurants.

Luzon prawn producers are aggressively pushing for the commercialization of vannamei. There is a combined 700 hectares of intensive and extensive white shrimp farms in the main island of Luzon. Producers claim they are making more money because the variety is hardy, has a high survival rate, low feed conversation ratio, rapid growth during the first 60 days, and capability to grow even if part of feed is substituted with lower cost tilapia fillets.

While export revenues from fresh, chilled or frozen shrimps and prawns – mostly black tiger prawns – average about P5 billion annually, and is the country’s third largest fishery product exports next to seaweed and tuna, its share in the Japanese market has been decreasing as buyers there now prefer vannamei.

Stopping illegal practices

Luzon producers are hopeful that with authorities legitimizing vannamei propagation, the illegal production and smuggling of fry into the country by both local and Taiwanese fishpond operators will end. These anomalous practices thrive because of the lack of a clear policy on the importation of vannemei fry.

What’s more, the unregulated entry puts at greater risk efforts to revitalize prawn exports because these prawn farms are not being properly monitored and checked for diseases that could contaminate other ponds.

Policy shift causes concerns

On the other hand, Negros prawn producers and small fishing groups oppose the commercialization of vannamei. They say that this would worsen environmental destruction and result in the economic displacement of marginal fishermen.

Fishermen fear that shrimp farm owners would be driven to expand their operation because vannamei is being promoted as the savior of the local shrimp industry and their farms would expand to such an extent that they would spill over even to critical mangrove areas.

Clearer policies needed

In every undertaking, there are risks that have to be taken. If the production trials mentioned earlier are successful, BFAR should lift Administrative Order (FAO) 207 issued in 2001 which, except for research purposes, prohibited the entry to the Philippines of live shrimps and prawns of all species and life stages from egg to spawners.

The FAO was obviously the result of lobbying done by the prawn producers in the Visayas who felt threatened by the growing popularity of producing vannamei or white shrimp.

In 2003, BFAR issued FAO 221 which regulates, but does not ban outright, the entry of all live aquatic organisms into the Philippines, including shrimps and crustaceans. All applications for imports should pass an import risk analysis before being allowed entry into the country.

While FAO 221 was issued after FAO 207, anti-vannamei advocates were able to pressure BFAR to come out with a vague statement that said FAO 207 is still in force since FAO 221 merely amended the existing AO. That’s understandable, but if the production trials show it is okay to commercialize vannamei, BFAR should issue a clear policy promoting the full scale commercial production of vannamei or white shrimp.

Those opposing the commercial propagation of vannamei keep saying there are just too many risks involved with the unfamiliar specie. This, however, should not keep local authorities from pursuing the venture. Vannamei has after all resuscitated the prawn industry of Thailand and Taiwan. Now, even Vietnam is starting to see the light.

Our local prawn growers and the government should take a firmer stand as to where the industry is going. Otherwise, they may lose sight of the correct turn in the road to progress, and end up losing another opportunity to expand our agri export sector.

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Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 4th Floor, 156 Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at [email protected] or at [email protected]. If you wish to view the previous columns, you may visit my website at http://bizlinks.linkedge.biz.