The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) is working on the establishment of Village-Level Processing Facilities to turn Mindanao’s Seaweed Industry into a major source of Organic Fertilizer and poultry and livestock additive.
On Thursday, MinDA asked a Filipino inventor and mechanical engineer based in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte to design a prototype of a machine capable of squeezing raw seaweeds.
The liquid component produced in the squeezing could be processed into Foliar Fertilizer while the solid part could be dried and used as additive for poultry and livestock feeds.
Engr. Rudy Cane, younger brother of Agusan del Sur Governor Santiago Cane, Jr., said he will complete the prototype in two weeks which in turn will be tested in Olutanga Island where seaweed farming is a major source of livelihood.
Cane, who won several awards for very practical inventions like a rope-making machine and an elevator which runs on a single-phase connection, said that the machine he will design could be operated by ordinary folks and could be established in remote communities.
This machine could turn the seaweeds into high-value products which in turn could boost organic farming, especially rice and fruits, and livestock and poultry raising in Mindanao.
It is expected to add value to the seaweeds produced by poor fisherfolks which currently are bought from as high as P15 to as low as P5 per kilo.
In the Philippines, Seaweeds have mainly been used for Carrageenan production, the price of which is dependent on world market dictates.
Seaweeds-based Organic Fertilizer has been found to increase rice, vegetable and fruit production by huge amounts while at the same time protecting the natural nutritional balance of the soil.
A research conducted by the Southern Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST), showed that “fertilizer derived from the drippings of Kappaphycus alvarezii, a species of red alga, which is 100% organic, has proven to increase the yield of rice, baby corn, soybean, mungbean, sweet pepper, cauliflower, mango, pechay, and orchid.”
The report which quoted Graciella Caballero of SPAMAST said that “A kilo of Kappaphycus seaweed can yield up to 650ml liquid fertilizer. It contains nutrients that contribute to soil fertility, including nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, iron and manganese.”
“Drippings of the Kappaphycus seaweed contain nutrients that contribute to soil fertility, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, iron, and manganese. Foliar fertilizers are directly applied on the plant’s leaves, which absorb nutrients through its stomata and epidermis.
“With a kilo of seaweed, a large plastic bag, and direct sunlight, a fisherfolk can generate 650ml of liquid fertilizer, which can be sold for P75 a liter,” Caballero added.
The use of seaweeds as animal feeds is not new as this was done centuries ago in Ancient Greece and the Icelandic Region where forage was scarce during the winter season, according to literatures on Seaweeds uses.
Recently, interest on the use of seaweeds for animal feeds was renewed because of health and environmental concerns following results of studies which showed that cattle fed with seaweeds emit less greenhouse gases.
Believe it or not, the farting of cattle in the feedlots and ranches is an issue among environmentalists who claim that this contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) has included the Seaweeds industry as one of the commodities proposed to be included in the EU-Funded Mindanao Rise Program.
The aim of the program is to capacitate seaweeds-growing communities to process their produce into high-value commodities like Foliar Fertilizer, Animal Feed Additives and Pro-Biotics.
Using the Complete Value Chain Principle, Mindanao’s Seaweeds Industry could lift many fisherfolk families out of poverty and trigger the growth of the region’s economy.
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!
#SailingTheSeasToDiscover!
#touchgroundfeelthepulse!
(This video presentation is a production of the MinDA Media Team for the Beauty & Bounty of Mindanao Advocacy Program.)
https://fb.watch/aMs2UbCIeO/
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