Shopping spree!

100 FISHING VILLAGES GET

ICE-MAKING EQUIPMENT

By Manny Piñol

A Flake Ice-Making Machine capable of producing between one to five tons of ice everyday was the hottest item for fishermen from the different regions of the country who joined the 1st Philippine Fisheries Expo at the World Trade Center Manila yesterday.

Almost all the fishermen from 100 fishing communities picked the Flake Ice-Making Machine as the equipment they need most to reduce their post-harvest losses estimated at 40% of the total daily catch.

The fishermen, who came from the different fishing grounds all over the country, including areas as far as Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte to the north and Maluso, Basilan to the South, were brought to Manila by the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to choose the equipment that they need back home.

The machinery and equipment which were on display by private companies yesterday, once chosen by the fishermen, will be paid for using a loan fund from the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) which will be released through a conduit bank.

To be eligible for the loaning program called Agriculture and Fisheries Machinery and Equipment (AFME) Loan Fund, the fishermen must be organised, endorsed by the Municipal or Provincial Agriculture and Fisheries Council.

They must also undergo a financial literacy training conducted by the SM Foundation which is supporting the DA’s Easy Access Credit Program.

The fishermen’s groups will repay the loan in 8 years at 2% interest per annum.

They could buy the equipment that they need, from a medium-sized fishing boat, ice-making equipment, cold storage to hauling trucks.

A total of 1000 fishermen’s groups have been identified all over the country.

The ice-making facility and other equipment chosen by the fishermen yesterday will be delivered to their fishing communities and will be made operational by March 2019.

The post-harvest equipment granted the AFME Loaning Program is expected to reduce post-harvest losses and ensure greater income for the fishermen.

It is also expected to stabilize the fish supply and prices in the market.

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(Photos taken by DA-AFID)