PHL tuna, pompano fetches $20-M orders from 'Boston Seafood Show'

Fresh chilled tuna and pompano from the Philippines took in $20.196 million (P869 million) in booked orders during the recently concluded International Boston Seafood Show in Boston, Massachusetts, the Agriculture Department said in a statement Sunday. The booked orders topped by 187 percent the original sales target of $10 million for the Boston event, according to a report by the 14-man Philippine delegation headed by Agriculture Assistant Secretary Salvador S. Salacup, the department said. The report, submitted to Agriculture Secretary Processo Alcala, noted that “there is still vast opportunity for the expansion of Philippine aquatic resources products considering that many supermarkets and retail stores near the exhibition site sold fish… shrimp, prawns, crabs, tilapia, tuna loins, squids and octopus, which however are currently sourced from Taiwan and China. The seafood show is one of the best venues to display products of the Philippine seafood industry and further penetrate the US — the 3rd largest consumer of seafood products worldwide, Salacup said. The three-day show was held last March 20-22. 918 exhibitors from 48 countries took part in the event, and about 40 percent were manufacturers. Importers and agents, wholesalers and distributors, retailers and food service businesses also participated in the seafood show, the department said. The orders booked by the Philippines from the show have encouraged the Agriculture Department to continue supporting the fisheries and aquatic sector, a crucial segment to its export potential, Salacup said. — VS, GMA News