The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has appointed the expertise of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre - Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) to develop a PHP30 million commercial-scale aquaculture feed mill in Western Visayas for cost-effective feed
The project, under the National Fisheries Programme, will construct aquaculture feed mills in strategic locations in the country, piloted in Calabarzon and Mimaropa.
In Western Visayas, particularly in Panay Island, the feed mill is eyed at the main station of the SEAFDEC in Tigbauan, Iloilo with a fund support of PHP30 million (US$550,671) and a counterpart fund of PHP250,000 (US$4,589) from the centre.
“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,” commented Dan Baliao, SEAFDEC/AQD chief.
60% of the production cost goes to feeds, thus deterring aquaculture production. “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,” he concluded.
