DAVAO CITY – The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) will conduct a series of regional orientation workshop on bangus fish cage farming and white shrimp production for interested farmers and investors starting next week.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Secretary Emmanuel Piñol 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.
Piñol said the workshops will be conducted with the support of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), government and private financing institutions such as the Development Bank of the Philippines, the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), and prospective buyers of the marine products.
“Companies involved in the fabrication of ready-to-install fish cages and the production of feeds will also be invited to present their technology,” Piñol said.
The workshop's lectures will include bangus production in fish cages, white shrimp or Vanamei production, market potentials and viability, financing support of government and private banks, financial Management, processing and value-adding, market engagement and environmental awareness.
Piñol said the orientation workshop will later move to other regions of Mindanao and Sulu to promote fish cage farming as part of MinDA's economic advocacy.
He said the fish cage development program aims 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 PHP26-B into Mindanao's economy and provide thousands of jobs,” he added.
The MinDA chief underscores the importance of the program as a measure to support the food security program of the country at a time when diseases pose serious challenges to the livestock and poultry industry. (PNA)
