Bounty of Mindanao Seas! OLUTANGA LAPULAPU FARMS POTENTIAL MINDA $ EARNER

Olutanga, Zamboanga Sibugay – This hardly known island separated from mainland Mindanao by a 420-meter channel holds a secret goldmine which if developed could be a major export product.

Grouper or Lapulapu Fish Cage Farming is a lucrative income-earning activity which fishermen in the area could undertake if only given the needed support and protection.

The island, along with several coastal towns of Zamboanga Sibugay, is a natural habitat for a family of Grouper or Lapulapu which breeds in the brackish waters.

The Lapulapu fingerlings are easily harvested by fishermen using a traditional method.

They are then reared in the waters where they are hatched until they are large enough to be transferred to fish cages in the coastal areas.

They stay in the fish cages for a few months shedding off their black scales and turn into beautiful and large Lapulapu with yellow spots making them look like the “Desert Storm” camouflage.

The Grouper could weigh as much as 1 kilo each at 10 months old.

Each live Lapulapu could fetch as much as P1,000 to as much as P2,000 during the Chinese New Year.

Olutanga Mayor Arthur Ruste Jr. said the enthusiasm of fishermen to grow Lapulapu was dampened by the unscrupulous traders who manipulate the prices.

The interest in Lapulapu farming could be reignited by the initiatives of the Duterte Administration to develop Fisheries and Aquaculture in Mindanao.

The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) has identified Olutanga as one of the 22 proposed sites to be included in the planned “Fish Centers” under the Mindanao Fisheries and Aquaculture Develoment (MINFAD) Program.

The MINFAD Program is proposed by MinDA for inclusion in the Mindanao Rise Program which a support grant fund of P2.1-B from the European Union.

The “Fish Centers” will introduce the Complete Value Chain System which ensure that agriculture and fisheries stakeholders get the full value of their produce.

#LetsWalkAnExtraKilometer!

#GovernanceIsCommonSense!

#LetsSailTheSeasToDiscover!

(Photos of the Olutanga Lapulapu Farms taken by the Beauty & Bounty of Mindanao Media Team. A video production will be posted shortly.)