Local salt producers want tighter import rules

MANILA, Philippines — A local salt industry group has urged the government to implement tighter rules and regulations that would limit the country’s importation of the commodity to plug the foreseen shortfall in domestic supply.

The Philippine Association of Salt Industry Networks (PhilASIN) said the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) should adopt a provision that would require the issuance of a certificate of necessity to import (CNI) before any salt importation is made.

This, PhilASIN argued, would prevent oversupply that could depress farmgate prices to the detriment of local salt farmers.

The group said that BFAR must set the total allowable import volume in a given year by determining the gap in local supply and production vis-a-vis the country’s requirement to prevent oversupply.

PhilASIN said farmgate salt prices in certain areas in the country such as Mindoro have dropped to as low as P1.8 per kilo because of abundant domestic supply amid the unabated entry of imports.

The imposition of a CNI requirement is similar to what the government agencies like BFAR do in regulating the entry of imported commodities.

For example, the agriculture chief must first issue a CNI before the government may allow the importation of roundscad or galunggong for wet market sale. Without the CNI, no importation of the fishery product can be made, making all foreign stocks present in the market illegal or smuggled.

“This can be an agenda for the Salt Council, ensuring that BFAR first determines a shortage in local salt supply before issuing an import permit,” the group said during the public consultation of the draft salt import rules yesterday.

PhilASIN also pitched that BFAR adopt the similar consultative process that the National Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (NFARMC) undertakes in determining the import volume for roundscad in a given period, subject to the approval of the agriculture secretary.

BFAR officials revealed that they wanted to include a provision that would set a cap on the import volume by establishing a maximum importable volume. However, the agency was “hesitant” in including the provision because of the absence of a legal basis.

BFAR officials explained that the pertinent provisions on CNI as stipulated under Republic Act 8550 only cover fish and fishery products, thus, excluding salt. The officials added that they looked for other possible legal basis but to no avail.

But during the public consultation, PhilASIN made its case about the possible interpretation of existing laws that would allow BFAR to impose a CNI on imported salt. After hearing the group’s argument, BFAR officials expressed openness in including a CNI provision in the draft salt import rules.

BFAR officials said they would go back to the technical working group (TWG) tasked to draft the salt import rules and try to incorporate a provision on CNI.

BFAR would still conduct publication consultations with Visayas and Mindanao clusters to solicit comments and suggestions to improve the draft salt import rules.

The draft salt import rules would also undergo deliberations by the TWG and the NFARMC before being endorsed to the agriculture secretary for the final approval.

The country’s salt imports last year fell by 3.65 percent to 659,000 metric tons from 684,000 MT in 2023, based on Philippine Statistics Authority data.