BOHOLANOS SWARM OVER
7 TONS OF LOW-PRICED FISH
Tagbilaran City – Boholanos arrived as early as 4 a.m. at the Agriculture Promotions Center here to get their share of fresh fish sold at P70 to P100 lower per kilo than those sold in the island-province’s public markets.
Over seven tons of fish from Zamboanga, Caraga, Samar, Misamis Oriental and Iloilo sold on the first day of the two-day Bohol Fish Market launching was literally gobbled up by over 1,000 local residents who have long complained of very stiff prices of fish in the local market.
“You have done a miracle for Bohol,” one elderly man told me as local residents bought fresh fish at lowe prices.
Local fish “Matambaka” was P158 per kilo while in the local market it is sold at P280.
Favorite fish “Galunggong” was priced at P110 per kilo compared to P220 in the public markets in the province.
By 1 p.m. the fish stalls manned by wives of local fishermen and a group of supporters of President Rody Duterte called the DDS were almost empty.
The Bohol Fish Market continues tomorrow Aug. 17 with another seven tons of fish coming from Region X and Region VIII, including local fish production to be sold.
It will be opened every Saturday and Sunday starting next week in the same venue until a permanent location could be identified.
The Bohol Fish Market will later be developed into a tourism destination as eateries will be opened in the area where fish bought in the market could be cooked and served.
The Bohol Fish Market is the first provincial-level TienDA Project to be implemented by the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
It is the response of the DA to the complaints of local residents over very high prices of fish in the public market.
Wives and daughters of fishermen, fish vendors and Bohol DDS were granted loans of P50,000 each as their initial capital by the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC).
They have been trained in Financial Management and Literacy by the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) and the SM Foundation.
The successful staging of the Bohol Fish Market will now serve as the template for similar activities in other areas to bring down the prices of food.
(Photos by Chief of Staff Bong Piñol)
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