The Fisheries Department and five fish export companies have provided clarification to the House Committee on Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation, regarding the export of blackchin tilapia from 2013 to 2016.
The issue arose from allegations of misreporting, where export documents mistakenly identified the fish species.
The five companies attending the meeting were Thai Chian Wu Co., Ltd., Advance Aquatic Co., Ltd., Samitra Aquarium Limited Partnership, P&P Aquarium World Trading Co., LTD., and Asia Aquatics Co., Ltd.
The firms denied exporting blackchin tilapia, attributing the discrepancies to clerical errors made by shipping companies during document preparation.
An investigation by the Fisheries Department in 2017 revealed that out of 24,000 export entries, 212 were inaccurately reported as blackchin tilapia. The department emphasized that no blackchin tilapia were exported during the specified period, and the errors were purely clerical.
Despite these explanations, the House Committee expressed concerns that the Fisheries Department’s focus was more on export documents rather than on the impact on local farmers.
The committee resolved to conduct further studies and report to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. The government may consider using emergency funds to compensate affected individuals, with damages estimated at 450 million baht. (NNT)
