BFAR forum targets MSMEs

MANILA, Philippines –  The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is hosting an industry forum for the fisheries sector to enable small and medium businesses to take advantage of growth trends in the domestic and export market.

Around 500 participants from the government, state universities, industry leaders and representatives from the fisheries sector are attending the first micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) industry forum, scheduled today.

The forum is “the government’s preliminary stride in strengthening Philippine fishery enterprises by helping entrepreneurs connect with each other, take advantage of government programs and services and learn new business strategies to increase efficiency, productivity and profitability of businesses,” BFAR said.

To be held alongside the forum is the For EU Market Forum which would tackle the growth potential of the Philippines as a major exporter of fishery products for the European Union market.

Among the personalities expected to grace the event are Sen. Cynthia Villar, head of the  Senate committee on Agriculture and Food; Senator Bam Aquino, who chairs the Senate committee on trade, commerce and entrepreneurship; Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala, and DA Undersecretary for Fisheries and BFAR national director Asis G. Perez.

Alcala signed last month the implementing rules and regulations of the amended Fisheries Code of 1998.

The amended law lays down stricter guidelines on the enforcement of various conservation measures in fisheries.

It also covers the specific procedures on the imposition of penalties to fishers who commit illegal, unreported and, unregulated fishing activities.

The adoption of an amended Fisheries Code led to the revocation in April of the yellow card warning issued by the European Union (EU) to the Philippines for deficiencies in controlling illegal fishing and improving traceability and certification of catch.

As the world’s largest fish importer, the group of European states only allows the entry of fishery products that have been certified as legal by the respective exporting countries.

The Philippines is a major exporter of fisheries products to the EU and is seen to greatly benefit from trade with the European bloc with its inclusion to the Generalized System of Preferences Plus (GSP+) as of December 2014.

The GSP+ scheme allows beneficiary countries to export 6,274 products to any of the 28 members of the EU bloc at zero tariff for a period of 10 years.