December 15, 2008
Philippines targets 7 percent fisheries growth in 2009
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is looking forward to a better performance of the country's fisheries production as it targets a modest 7 percent growth in 2009.
Malcolm Sarmiento Jr., director of DA's Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said it wants to be more conservative in its growth target for next year due to a number of factors, including the possible damages that may be caused by typhoons in major fish producing areas.
In recent years, the BFAR has been setting a growth target of 10 percent for fisheries production, but efforts of the government to grow fish production were challenged by natural disasters.
In August, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said he is bullish about fish production in 2009 and even targeted a growth rate of 10 percent to 5.7 million tonnes.
