With DA-BFAR support ROMBLON AIMS TO BE POWERHOUSE IN FISH, AQUA-MARINE PRODUCTION

By Manny Piñol Odiongan, Romblon 

ChikkaNow The province of Romblon which is composed of a group of small islands located north of Panay Island and south of Batangas is set to enter into an agreement with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) for the operation of a P26-M Bangus Hatchery constructed by the provincial government in the outskirts of Odiongan town in the main island of Tablas.

Romblon Governor Eduardo Firmalo said that the facility, completed three years ago, could breed up to 300 mother Milkfish or “Sabalo” which could supply enough fingerlings to boost the aqua-marine potentials of the province of 250,000 people. At present, the Bangus Hatchery facilities house only 12 mother Milkfish and whatever fry is produced is just thrown to the sea where the survival rate would be low to nil. When I visited Odiongan July 27, Gov. Firmalo brought me and top Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) officials, including Undersecretary Eduardo Gongona and BFAR IV-B Director Toto Salilig, to the Bangus Hatchery to present to me the proposal for a joint undertaking between DAF and the provincial government of Romblon.

I immediately approved Gov. Firmalo’s request and asked him to request the Provincial Legislative Board to pass a resolution authorising the Governor to enter into a long-term agreement with the DAF-BFAR for the operation of the facility. Under the proposed joint undertaking, the DAF-BFAR will assign fisheries experts to the facility who will operationalise the hatchery with the deployment of about 300 mother milk fish and start the production of fingerlings by 2019. By 2018, DA-BFAR will start the training of prospective fish cages and fishpond operators on Bangus raising, including the establishment of post-harvest facilities like ice plants, cold storage, processing and packaging facilities. Participants in the program will be accredited by the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) so that they could have access to the Production Loan Easy Access (PLEA) program which extends non-collateralized credit with 6% interest to farmers and fisher folks.

When fully operational, the Romblon Bangus industry is expected to make the province a powerhouse in aqua-marine production and lift up poor fisherfolk families from poverty. #Changeishere! #PresRodyCares! #DuterteDelivers! (Photos by Mayette Tudlas)