January 8, 2009

The city government of Dagupan in northern Luzon in the Philippines will establish a P100-million seafood processing plant (US$20 million) this year through a grant by the Korean government.

City mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. expressed confidence that the plant will be constructed and problems that cropped up last year will soon be ironed out.

Fernandez, also one of the biggest bangus milkfish producers in Dagupan, believes that the processing plant will be a big boon to local producers who would be getting more out of their harvested fish.

The processing plant will absorb excess fish products unloaded in Dagupan's consignacion (wholesale) market for processing and will be equipped with modern Korean facilities.

Jointly operated by the Dagupan City government, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and other industry players through their cooperatives, the plant will process milkfish and other seafood products for exports.

Fernandez said the province is currently exporting fresh bangus and shrimps but the facility will command higher prices for processed seafood.

The processing plant will assure a ready market for their products for de-boning and refrigeration, he added.

The mayor said the city seeks to establish permanent markets for processed marine products in places where there are large Filipino communities, like in the US West Coast and Hawaii and in the Middle East.

Fernandez said producers of bangus and other marine products will earn not only on seasonal basis but also year-round once the plant is established.

To date, Dagupan is harvesting bangus at an average of 31 tonnes a day, which is only a drop in the bucket as compared to the total production daily in Bolinao, Binmaley, San Fabian, Sual, Bani, Alaminos City and Anda.

In these areas, bangus is raised in fish ponds and in pens and cages positioned in rivers and bays.