By Ali Macabalang
COTABATO CITY - The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) is set to launch next week a series of regional orientation workshop on Bangus Fish Cage Farming and White Shrimps Production in its bid to help establish some 10,000 fish cages in different coves ad bays in Southern Philippines in two years.
(Photo from MinDA)
The venture has the backing of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), public and private financing institutions like the Development Bank of the Philippines, the Cooperatives Development Authority (CDA), and some prospective product buyers, MinDA Chairman Manny Piñol announced on Monday.
Workshop participants will be oriented on Bangus Production in Fish Cages, White Shrimps or Vanamei Production, Market Potentials and Viability, Financing Support of government and private banks, fiscal management, processing and value adding, market engagement and environmental awareness, he said.
Companies involved in the fabrication of ready-to-install Fish Cages and the production of feeds will also be invited to present their technology in each episode of the workshop, said Pinol, who posted in the Facebook photos of existing successful fish cages in Mindanao.
He said the first workshop will be conducted on site in Malalag, Davao Del Sur, one of the coastal towns in Mindanao where Fish Cage Farming “has become a huge industry.”
The exact venue and dates of the workshop will be announced later, he said.
Workshop organizers will later move to other regions of Mindanao and Sulu to promote Fish Cage Farming as part of the economic advocacy of MinDA, Piñol said.
He said the MinDA-initiated Fish Cage Development Program seeks to establish 10,000 fish cages in the different coves and bays of Mindanao over the next two years.
“The program is targeted to produce 200,000 metric tons of Bangus every year which will infuse an estimated P26-B into Mindanao's economy and provide thousands of jobs,” he pointed out.
It is also designed to support the food security program of the country as varied diseases pose serious challenges to the livestock and poultry industry, Pinol said as he invited all interested individuals or groups to join the life-enhancing venture.