Phl books $20-million seafood orders in US trade show

MANILA, Philippines - Fresh chilled tuna and pompano from the Philippines earned a total of $20.196 million or roughly P869 million in booked orders and negotiated sales in the International Boston Seafood Show in Massachusetts, USA held last March 20-22, 2011.

The 14-man Philippine delegation headed by Agriculture Assistant Secretary Salvador S. Salacup reported to Secretary Proceso J. Alcala that sales represented a 187-percent increase in the original target sales of only $10 million for the event.

Bestsellers were Philippine fresh chilled tuna and pompano – due mainly to their excellent quality and taste as well as its year-round availability. 

Salacup reported that previous buyers and importers immediately placed an initial order and delivery of 500 kilograms per week at P10 per kilogram for the next three months beginning April 2011.

Salacup informed Secretary Alcala that there is still a vast opportunity for the expansion of Philippine aquatic resource products considering that many supermarkets and retail stores near the exhibition site sold fish, frozen seafood products, shrimps, prawns, crabs, tilapia, tuna loins, squids and octopus.

Unfortunately, the source of seafoods products in the US currently comes from Taiwan and China.