GenSan fishport to undergo rehabilitation

MANILA, Philippines — The government is set to rehabilitate and modernize the General Santos Fish Port Complex in a bid to spur growth in the local tuna industry.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar said there is strong need for the modernization of the facility as the port services 75 percent of the tuna supply in the country.

“Tuna, with breeding area nearby General Santos City, is a very important commodity contributing to the total gross value-added coming from the fishery sector,” Dar said.

The DA has yet to provide the budget needed for the modernization but Dar recommended additional berthing areas within the port to accommodate more fishing vessels to dock.

Dar also targets to tap more investors who will put up canneries and other post-harvest facility systems. Currently, the GenSan fishport has seven canneries.

The Philippine Fisheries Development Authority noted that the rehabilitation project for the two-decade-old fish port is timely and necessary.

The PFDA recently completed the feasibility study for the rehabilitation of the fish port, which has been submitted to the National Economic and Development Authority for approval.

Dar recently met with the Soccsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries Inc. (SFFAII) to discuss the current challenges faced by the industry such as rising cost of operation and high shipping rate for domestic cargo.

Other concerns included the lack and non-enforcement of laws for unregulated fishing in municipal waters, pending regulations in support of sustainable fishing, increasing demands for certified fish products, port rehabilitation, and strategies to increase the production of tuna.

Dar has directed the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to limit and refrain from distributing small boats that can only go to as far as 10 kilometers in municipal waters.

BFAR will also start distributing boats with cold storage equipment to fisherfolk cooperatives.