Easily Attainable! With 5,000 Fish Cages, We’ll Be Fish Sufficient

Modern fish cage farming technology, especially the submersible fish cages which could be installed even in typhoon-prone coastal areas, could easily make the Philippines fish sufficient.
Only 5,000 fish cages with an estimated yield of 20-metric tons each could produce 100,000-metric tons of milkfish, 40,000-metric tons more than the fish supply shortfall of the country every year.
But this is easier said than done because there are problems and challenges which could derail any plan to produce more fish.
1. Lack of Bangus fingerlings to supply the fish cage operators as the country is dependent on imported fry from Indonesia. There are existing hatcheries owned by private individuals and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources but these could not produce enough fry for the needs of the industry.
The solution to this problem is to support local hatcheries with funding to expand their operations and assure them of a market for their fry and to establish at a least three huge and modern hatcheries in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
2. Funding support by government and government financing institutions, including private banks is critical in the success of the aquaculture undertakings of private investors and individual farmers.
Today, except for a few, most investments in aquaculture are made by big companies and corporations while individual investors, including small fisherfolk, have no access to low-interest loans and financing.
3. Affordable Aqua Feeds and Inputs must be ensured by government and this could be done with the establishment of feed processing facilities near the location of the fish cages or fish ponds.
Right now, it is the high cost of feeds which is preventing most fish cage farmers from expanding their operations and contributing to great fish productivity.
4. Ready Market is the most critical component of any program to boost aquaculture and fish production in the country because without a market to absorb and reposition the produce, there could be an artificial glut in the market which would result in losses to fish farmers.
This is where the proposal to reactivate the Food Terminal Inc. as a food procurement and distribution agency of government should be considered.
In many fishing grounds of the country right now, fish prices are affordable but given the lack of infrastructure and easy access to the market, the P150 per kilo Bangus in Malalag, Davao del Sur could end up being bought by a consumer in Cebu for P250.
So, any program to achieve Fish Sufficiency in the country should be supported by a well-coordinated effort which involves the provision of technology, affordable feeds, financing and marketing.

#CoordinatedEffortNeeded!
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!