NZ helps Phl tighten net on illegal fishing
BUSUANGA, PALAWAN – The government of New Zealand is providing additional financial support to the Philippines to help combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and help boost the Southeast Asian nation’s tuna production.
New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines David Strachan said they were extending $ 3.6 million in financial assistance to help Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines develop data collection, port monitoring and management systems in fighting IUU fishing for the next five years.
“Fisheries is very much part of the agriculture development and an important part of the economy in this country. And this is all about sustainable development of fisheries particularly tuna,” he said.
“What New Zealand is doing is sharing its best practices in terms of data collection, monitoring fishing stocks so we can help enhance the capacity of your own bureau (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources),” Strachan told The STAR.
Strachan said the $3.6-million assistance would not be equally distributed to the three countries but a substantial amount would go to the Philippines to provide additional value to the tuna catch.
“We’re confident this will be another strength of our bilateral partnership,” he added.
The Western and Central Pacific Tuna Commission Secretariat will manage the regional project on behalf of the New Zealand government.
Data showed fisheries in the waters of the three countries account for almost 30 percent of total catches from the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.
The project is still in the conceptualization stage and is expected to begin in the first half of next year.
“The project is regional so the time frame would depend on the timeframe of the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and the regional implementing agency,” said Rune Ylade, New Zealand Aid Programme manager.
“We hope to improve the catch and more effectively prevent illegal fishing. Tuna is one of the most highly valuable resources in the world and we have to make sure it is conserved,” Strachan added.
New Zealand is also pursuing its flagship program for the Philippines next year with about $5 million earmarked for the development of its dairy industry.
“They (National Dairy Authority) will be creating a whole strategy roadmap for the whole industry. We want to know what they need from New Zealand so we would know where we could best put our expertise,” Ylade said.
The Philippines is one of the largest markets of New Zealand’s dairy products with an estimated export value of $600 million annually.
It is also New Zealand’s fourth largest source of fruits and vegetables, mainly bananas and pineapples and continues to be one of its largest partners in the ASEAN region.
Strachan is upbeat on the country’s agriculture sector after the Duterte administration pledged to reinvigorate the industry, particularly in Mindanao.
“There’s a feeling of confidence in what the current government is doing. The prospects are bright, that will be of great interest to New Zealand and for the private sector as well,” he said.
“Our partnership with the Philippine is more than a donor-recipient relation. We are keen on improving our transactions with the ( Philippine) government,” Ylade added.
Two- way trade between New Zealand and the Philippines amounts to $1.3 billion annually including services.
New Zealand exports dairy, meat, forestry products, confectionery and wines to the Philippines.