Fisherfolk and seaweed farmers in Sorsogon have received more than P14 million worth of livelihood projects from the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. led the turnover on Oct. 2. It included a visit to seaweed cages in Bogña and the ceremonial stocking of bangus fingerlings at a marine fish cage in Buenavista, Bacon.
Here’s what went where, according to the DA:
- Triple B Fisherfolk Association: three high-density polyethylene (HDPE) marine fish cages, feeds and fingerlings, a floating house, and a fiberglass banca, worth P2.99 million. The cages are part of the 588-hectare Bacon Mariculture Zone and are expected to yield about 18 metric tons of bangus a year.
- Fisherfolk in seven towns and cities: twenty 36-foot fiberglass boats worth P4.02 million under the FB Pagbabago Program, for fishers from Sorsogon City, Pilar, Castilla, Magallanes, Donsol, Casiguran, and Bulan. They are expected to bring in about 88 metric tons of fish a year.
- Magallanes: 57,000 bangus fingerlings.
- Samahang Mandaragat ng Barangay San Fernando, Prieto Diaz: a P1.03-million floating seaweed dryer.
- Bogña Self Help Group: four 20-by-20-meter HDPE seaweed cages worth P5.96 million.
Laurel said future aid should be based on the actual, specific needs of fisherfolk in each Sorsogon town, so that interventions match what coastal communities need over the long term. The assistance targets both production and post-harvest needs, he added.
The output figures, 18 tons of bangus and 88 tons of fish catch, are the department’s projections. The real test will be whether the equipment is used, maintained and still producing a few years from now. That’s a question that has dogged past livelihood handouts.
