BREEDING GROUND. The Paoay Lake National Park used to have many tilapia breeders but has been promoted as an eco-tourism site. To keep up with the high demand, a fish hatchery will be opened in Pasuquin town for bangus and malaga culture, using funds under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, Provincial Board member Domingo Ambrocio, chair of the committee on agriculture, said Friday (Jan. 22, 2021). (PNA photo by Leilanie G. Adriano)
LAOAG CITY – Some PHP10 million has been allocated this year to boost swine and fish production in Ilocos Norte province, Provincial Board member Domingo Ambrocio, chair of the committee on agriculture, said Friday.
Funded under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act of President Rodrigo Duterte, the amount will be used to purchase high-quality swine breeders, as well as expand the fish breeding station in Barangay Nalvo, Pasuquin town.
As an agricultural province, Ilocos Norte continues to expand its food security plan to meet the demands of a growing province and to augment the demands of other provinces and Metro Manila, Ambrocio said.
With the continuing threat of climate change, Ilocos Norte is blessed to have a favorable climate and hardworking people to carry out sustainable agriculture programs, he added.
As one of the priority programs this year, the swine production in Pasuquin will be expanded with the addition of more than 40 new hog breeders, including the Dingras breeding station, which contributes to revenue generation.
Instead of importing fish products from other provinces and abroad, the provincial government, in partnership with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, will establish a fish hatchery for bangus (milkfish) and malaga (rabbit fish) to increase fish production here.
The fish hatchery will be constructed on a 200-square meter lot at the Nalbo fish farm where interested fish growers could avail of free fingerlings from the provincial government.
In the latest report on a fish production survey, the Ilocos region’s overall fisheries production decreased by 5.83 percent from 38,173 metric tons in 2019 to 35,947 metric tons last year.
llocos Norte had an estimated 6 percent share of the total fisheries production in the region with 2,176 metric tons produced in 2020. (PNA)
