October 27, 2009
Philippine government believes five percent fisheries growth still possible
A five percent growth in Philippine fisheries production for 2009 is still achievable despite the destruction caused by two recent typhoons, according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
BFAR Assistant Director Gil Adora, who is currently the officer in charge of the bureau, said a 5-percent production growth is "very much realistic" even an eight percent growth is possible based on fish farmers in Pangasinan - the bangus milkfish capital of the Philippines.
Despite the flooding of fishponds caused by typhoon Pepeng (Parma) in Pangasinan, Adora said the province can very well supply the requirements of Manila for bangus this holiday season.
Based on standing stocks, the BFAR executive said Pangasinan can deliver up to 12,000 tonnes of bangus to Metro Manila until December, noting that fish operators can deliver anywhere from 100 tonnes to 150 tonnes of bangus to Metro Manila from now until the end of the year.
While damage to the fisheries sector in Pangasinan due to typhoon Pepeng was placed at 6,000 tonnes, Adora said not all of this volume was lost and that fish pond operators were able to recover part of this volume.
He also said some fishing operators had resorted to the early harvest of their stock to save their produce from Pepeng, adding that fish operators already know how to deal with storms ahead.
To help fishing operators who were adversely affected by Pepeng, Adora said the BFAR is setting aside P40 million (US$847,996) to fund a package of assistance.
He said the focus of the assistance is stock replenishment. This will ensure that enough fish will be available for the first quarter of 2010.
Aside from Dagupan in Pangasinan, Adora said the fisheries industry in La Union and Ilocos Norte were also devastated by Pepeng.
For January to June this year, the fisheries subsector's production grew by 4.9 percent this year. The fisheries subsector accounted for 27.62 percent of total farm output for the period.
The Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) noted that commercial fisheries production grew 10.41 percent in the first half of the year. Aquaculture output grew by 4.3 percent while municipal fisheries production inched up by 0.81 percent.
The fisheries subsector has become a major growth driver of farm output in recent years.
