The Philippines Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources is elevating its services to the fisherfolks and addressing the spoilage of the fishermen’s catch, as it celebrates National Farmers and Fisherfolk Month.
Under Presidential Proclamation No. 33, the month of May of every year is declared as Farmers’ and Fisherfolk Month to give due recognition and tribute to farmers and fisherfolk.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said the government will be putting up several cold storage facilities in various fish ports in the country to reduce post-harvest losses.
According to BFAR, current fish spoilage is between 25 to 40 percent because of the shortage in post-harvest equipment like blast freezers and ice-making machines, as well as cold storage warehouses and fish landing sites.
“We will put cold storage facilities to preserve fish and avoid spoilage,” Marcos said, adding that this move will improve the supply of fish in the country.
He said if the country would be able to lower the spoilage of the catch between 8 to 10 percent, the Philippines would no longer depend on importing fish from other nations.
The President also underscored the need to improve the aquaculture in the country by modernizing the fishponds to boost production. He is looking at mariculture to bolster the country’s food security and fish output.
“Mariculture or marine farming is a specialized branch of aquaculture involving the cultivation of marine organisms for food and other animal products, in enclosed sections of open ocean, fish farms built on littoral waters, or in artificial tanks, ponds or raceways which are filled with seawater,” Marcos said.