Gov't to put up cold storage facilities in fish ports around PH

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14) — The government will put up cold storage facilities in various fish ports around the country in a bid to address fisherfolk's spoilage woes.

The plan was tackled during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s meeting with concerned agencies and stakeholders on Tuesday.

"So we decided that one of the areas that was identified was the spoilage of the fish doon sa handling from galing sa bangka, hanggang sa bagsakan, hanggang sa palengke — napakalaki ang nagiging spoilage," Marcos said in a video interview after the meeting.

[Translation: So we decided that one of the areas that was identified was the spoilage of the fish from the handling from boats until they are sold in markets - there are a lot of spoilage.]

Data from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) — as cited by Malacañang — showed that the current fish spoilage rate in the country hovers at around 25 to 40%.

BFAR cited the shortage in post-harvest equipment like blast freezers, cold storage warehouse, and landing sites.

The chief executive expressed hope that the country could further lower the spoilage numbers to around 8 to 10%.

"So gumawa kami ng plano, may plano ongoing. Nagtatayo tayo ng cold storage facilities. May expansion sa mga ibang lugar," Marcos noted.

[Translation: So we are crafting a plan, there is something ongoing. We are building cold storage facilities. There's gonna be expansion in other areas.]

During the meeting, Marcos and other officials also discussed the country's fisheries program, as well as measures to address challenges in fish production.

CNN Philippines correspondent Rex Remitio contributed to this report.