THE Philippine government is allocating as much as P200 million to prop up seaweed production in its bid to wipe out raw seaweed imports in one-and-a-half-years’ time, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.
The country usually imports anywhere from 80,000 metric tons (MT) to 100,000 MT of raw seaweed annually, mostly from Indonesia.
Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said the government is launching a “more aggressive program” on seaweeds farming in strategic areas as it seeks to displace imports.
“The elimination of [raw seaweed] imports is a major focus of the DA which is why we want to roll out an aggressive seaweed farming program,” Alcala told reporters during a briefing on the 82nd anniversary of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) held in Manila on Wednesday.
The DA chief said the government wants to encourage seaweed farming in the provinces of Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi. The government has already jump-started a seaweed farming program in Palawan.
Under the program, the government is targeting to organize seaweed farmers into cooperatives. They will be provided assistance in the form of credit and planting materials.
“In Palawan, we have decided to increase the number of family recipients we will assist to 5,000 from the initial 1,800,” said Alcala.
He said cooperatives will be asked to sell semi-processed seaweed or those that have already been dried and chopped. Alcala assured that the government will help cooperatives procure the necessary equipment.
The DA said that it will also launch discussions with seaweed processors so they can buy their produce directly from farmers.
“That way, seaweed farmers can be assured of a higher price for their produce,” said Alcala.
Under the current arrangement, the DA noted that seaweed farmers sell their produce to traders or middleman who quote them a very low price.
Meanwhile, Alcala disclosed that the DA has been requested to undertake the same program it rolled out in the Iwahig Penal Colony at the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro.
The program, which was launched in 2010, will restore and repair irrigation systems to double the existing rice areas in Iwahig Farm to about 700 hectares to produce additional rice supply in Palawan.
