Iloilo City- Planong itatayo ng Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Western Visayas ang nasa Php30 million commercial-scale aquaculture feed mill sa buong rehiyon sa tulong ng Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center – Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD).
Ang naturang proyekto ay nasa ilalim ng National Fisheries Program na siyang nagbigay daan upang maitayo ang mga aquaculture feed mill sa iba’t ibang strategic locations sa bansa kabilang na ang Calabarzon at Mimaropa bilang mga pilot regions.
Sa Western Visayas, planong itatayo ang proyekto sa Panay Island, partikular na sa main station ng SEAFDEC sa Tigbauan, Iloilo na may pondong Php30 milyon at counterpart fund na Php250,000 mula naman sa center.
“Establishing a feed mill plant for cost-efficient feeds will likely invigorate the fisheries sector and help the country ensure food security by producing high-quality feeds at a reasonable price. This is also one way of increasing and sustaining aquaculture production of finfishes and cages in the area,” dagdag pa ni SEAFDEC/AQD Chief Dan Baliao.
Sinabi rin ni Baliao na 60 percent ng production cost ng mga mangingisda ay napupunta sa feeds, kaya bumababa ang produksyon.
“We have to come up with a formulation that will cost less but efficient. We have formulated the feeds that cost lower than the commercial feeds,” dagdag pa niya.