Production starts! BIG SUPERMARKETS AWAIT QUALITY, CLEAN DRIED FISH

Olutanga, Zamboanga Sibugay – The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) turned over yesterday a Steam-Powered Fish Drying Facility, including a Vacuum-Packing Equipment, to the town of Olutanga marking the start of the production of quality and clean dried fish from the island.

The facility, which was identified by the fisherfolk as an important intervention to improve their economic conditions, is expected to add value to the fish catch in the island, one of the 26 rich fishing grounds identified by MinDA for inclusion in the Mindanao Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Program (MInFAD).

The steam-powered fish drying facility which could dry as much as 400 kilos every 6 hours, could operate at night or even during rainy days because the main source of heat is a mini-boiler system designed and fabricated by a Mindanao inventor, Engr. Rudy Cane of Butuan City.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Department of Agriculture supported the MinDA initiative by providing the town with six Fiberglass boats, three of which will be used to patrol the waters surrounding the island to stop illegal fishing.

Yesterday, during the turn-over ceremonies attended by local officials led by Mayor Arthur Ruste Sr., the fisherfolk identified four fish species which could be processed into dried fish – Danggit, Balo, Bangsi and squid, locally called Lomayagan.

Target market of the products are the different supermarkets in Mindanao, including a chain of supermarket in Cebu City, the Ultramart owned by General Santos City-based business couple, Nathaniel and Marivet Caballero.

The two other towns in the island, Mabuhay and Talusan, will be included in the program where the catch of local fishermen would be brought to the drying facility for processing.

The turn-over of the equipment comes six months after I visited Olutanga on Sept. 1 last year during which I discovered the vast potentials of the town and the whole island in fisheries and aquaculture production.

Yesterday, during the meeting, I urged the local officials to unite and avail of the loaning programs of both the Development Bank of the Philippines and the Land Bank of the Philippines to acquire modern fishing boats to support the program.

Olutanga is the first fishing municipality of Mindanao to receive processing facilities which are part of the Fish Centers Initiative of MinDA.

Twenty five other fishing communities in Mindanao are programmed to receive facilities such as ice-makers, blast freezers, cold storage and processing equipment to enable fisherfolk to add value to their catch.

This program has been identified as one of the projects to be funded by the European Union Grant Fund for the MINPAD RISE program.

#KungGustoMaramingParaan!

#GovernanceIsCommonSense!

(Photos and drone shots were taken by the Beauty and Bounty of Mindanao Media Team for the Mindanao Development Authority.)