The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) stressed the need to train small and medium entrepreneurs (SMEs) on the proper processing, packaging and labeling requirements for halal fish and fishery products to prepare them for Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) economic integration next year. “There was a time when our SMEs brought fish products to Malaysia without the halal logo and label but this is all in the past because we are ready to provide them with proper training on the marketing of their products,” Consuelo C. Baltazar, officer-in-charge of BFAR’s fisheries post-harvest division, said during the three-day National Workshop on Fisheries Post Harvest held here on Monday, April 21. She said the fisheries agency is currently preparing for a trade fair initiated under the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), which Davao will host in October this year.

Carillo, C. A. (2014, April 24). BFAR prepares Mindanao food processors for ASEAN integration. BusinessWorld, p. S1/7.