Legislative Agenda #6! Big Hatcheries, Aqua Feeds To Achieve Fish Sufficiency

There is no need for the Philippines to import fish because with a 5-Year National Aquaculture and Fisheries Program, we could easily achieve Fish Sufficiency.

Napakalawak ng ating mga baybaying dagat dahil tayo ang may pang-5 na pinakamahabang coastline sa buong mundo wtih 36,289 kilometers.

Government must invest in the sector and provide incentives and support similar to the Rice and Corn sector to achieve this.

Here is a list of what should be done:

1. Build three huge National Hatcheries for Bangus and other high value species like Grouper or Lapulapu and others in three potential areas for aquaculture and mariculture, namely Pampanga or Bulacan in Luzon, Capiz, Iloilo or Aklan in the Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula for Mindanao;

2. Support the establishment of village-level feed mills and provide incerntives to companies investing in Aqua Feeds provided they use mainly local raw materials;

3. Provide soft loans with low interest rates for individuals and fishermen’s groups who would like to establish fish cages and mariculture parks;

4. Provide free Bangus fingerlings to small fishcage operators for 5 years, similar to what we are doing in the rice industry where free seeds are given out every planting season;

5. Establish Fish Consolidation Centers in the major fishing grounds of the country, complete with post-harvest faciltiies with the Food Terminal Inc. providing ready market at stable prices.

The country only needs to set up 3,000 fish cages valued at P3-B, including production cost, to supply the 60,000-Metric Tons of fish which the Department of Agriculture would now like to import.

Beyond 3,000 fish cages, the country could even become a major fish exporter, especially Bangus and Lapulapu.

Kung sa poker pa ito, kailangan “all-in” tayo dito para makamit natin ang matagal nang pinapangarap na fish sufficiency.

#KungGustoMaramingParaan!

#GovernanceIsCommonSense!