Bangus industry still imports 70% fry from Indonesia
THE bangus industry is doing relatively okay except for one aspect: it still imports 70 percent of fry it needs remains from Indonesia.
This
was view expressed by Alex Soriano, chairman of the Philippine Milkfish Group
(PhilMIG) whose company operates fish cages in the coastal areas in Pangasinan.
Soriano said the country still lags behind in production of fry by the
Philippine milkfish broodstock, resulting in the continued importation of as
much as 70 percent of the national requirement.
Soriano said about 2.5 to 3 billion pieces of bangus fry is needed in the
Philippines yearly. He said local
hatcheries can only produce 900 million a year.
The Philippines sources majority of its bangus fry from Gondol, Indonesia.
Soriano said increasing brood stock inventory is one of major PhilMIG’s agenda.
Philippine fry costs between P0.33 to P0.40 per piece and has a survival rate
of 60 to 70 percent, he said.
In comparison, the 17-day old Gondol fry has a peak season landed price of
P0.14 to 0.18 per piece and a survival rate of 30 to 35 percent.
In an
earlier interview, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Regional
Director Nestor Domenden said the problem of fry shortage has been going on
since fish cages in the seas mushroomed, adding that fewer fry are collected
from open waters in the wild.
There is no big hatchery of bangus in the Philippines except those in
Sarangani, he said.
He suggested a policy whereby the governments should grow sabalos (mother
bangus) and loan the broodstock to the private sector so that the private sector
will have no excuses anymore as to their production.
Broodstocks take about five to six years from finger size up to time it can
produce eggs, he said. “If the government wants to help the private sector, it
should invest in growing sabalo,” Domenden said.
He said he had an approved proposed program on raising sabalos during the time
of then BFAR director Asis Perez but it was not implemented. Agriculture
Secretary William Dar is supportive of this, he added. (PhilStar Wire Service/ECV)
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