Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte – I have found an ideal area for the implementation of the Bangus Fish Cage Farming Project for our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) and Expatriates who are coming home for good.
This is the coastal town of Sultan Naga Dimaporo, a community of Maranaos and Visayans facing the wide Moro Guif with 30-kilometers of coastal line.
The Moro Gulf is our country’s biggest gulf which stretches out to the Celebes Sea which is among the cleanest and richest waters in the South ASEAN Region.
What makes Sultan Naga Dimaporo or SND an ideal area for fish cage farming is the wide cove which virtually protects the coastal areas from big waves.
This ideal location is critical to the success of the Bangus Fish Cage Farming because big waves and stormy waters could destroy the fish cages and result in huge losses to the fishermen.
Another plus factor going for SND is the fact that its Mayor, Mutalib Dimaporo, is very eager to see the introduction of development projects in his town which could provide income to the local government unit and livelihood to its people.
I visited SND Monday last week and had a quick exchange of ideas with Mayor Mutalib who is a friend from way back.
Aside from his requests for additional infrastructure for his town’s agricultural areas, he expressed huge expectations on the development of its fishing industry.
He told me that there were attempts made by his cousin, Congressman Abdullah Dimaporo, to establish fish cages in the SND Coastal Area in the past but the project was affected by the lack of ice-making facility and access to the market.
I assured him that this time around, the project will be implemented observing the Complete Value Chain Concept where the stakeholders have complete control from production to processing and then marketing to give them greater benefits.
What needs to be done now is to establish ice-making and cold storage facilities near the fish port which was established by the Department of Agriculture in the past.
In addition to that, there would be a need for a facility where the Bangus and other sea products from the SND Cove would be processed into high value products, like the production of de-boned Bangus or fish fillet for the local market or even for export to the Filipino communities abroad, especially in the United States where Fil-Ams have long been craving for products which would give them the taste of home.
The processing and value-adding components of the project will provide jobs for the local people.
All of these facilities could be included in the priority projects for funding from the recently approved €35.5-M Grant from the European Union for the economic development of Mindanao.
The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), which is the implementing agency of the Mindanao Peace and Development (MINPAD) Rise Project, will organize a Program Management Office.
While the infrasctucture facilities for the SND are being established, the PMO will handle the orientation and organization of the OFWs and Expatriates into associations or cooperatives.
Local fishermen’s associations who would like to venture into Bangus Fish Cage Farming would be assisted, as well, with technology and financing.
A management team composed of experts in Bangus Fish Cage Production will also be organized to manage the SND Project for the OFWs and Expatriates who could not be physically present.
With everything in place, the SND Bangus Fish Cage Production is expected to be operational by early next year and will help power Mindanao’s economic recovery by providing livelihood and income to the local people.
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!
#GovernanceIsCommonSense!
(This video presentation was produced by the Beauty & Bounty of Mindanao Media Team shot in Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte with footages of Bangus Fish Cages from Malalag Bay, Davao del Sur.)
https://fb.watch/aJNdm5aNf6/
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