The Philippine government will spend PHP25 million (US$533,254) to build a feed mill to boost production in mariculture zones in Eastern Visayas.

 

The facility, which will be the first in the region, will rise within the regional complex of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Barangay Diit in this city, said BFAR Regional Director Juan D. Albaladejo.

 

"We will employ a new feed production technology coming from Denmark," he said. Construction of the facility will start early next year and the mill will have the capacity to produce three tonnes of feed per hour.

 

The facility will meet the growing demand for aqua feeds in existing mariculture zones. “Operators are having a problem with buying feeds because there's no local producer,” Albaladejo said, adding that the mill will help cut transport cost.

 

Furthermore, excess fish catch in the region that risks spoilage may be used as raw materials for the feed mill. Root crops and cassava sourced from the area can also be used by feed millers as ingredients for animals and aqua feeds.

 

There are nearly 6,000 hectares of mariculture parks with about 500 fish cages worth over PHP200 million (US$4.26 million) in the region.

 

The mariculture areas are designed to produce fishes through sea cage culture such as bangus, siganid, grouper, red snapper, seaweed farming, mussel culture, oyster culture, sea-ranching of lobsters and sea horses in coral reefs and sea grass areas.

 

Each mariculture zone or park is a contiguous area measuring 100-400 hectares or more encompassing the coastal waters of several barangays. It is run by groups chaired by local government units in partnership with BFAR.