Mindanaotoday.com | DA, BARMM target to expand PH fish production
MARAWI CITY – Officials from the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) and BARMM’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) met to discuss the recent directive of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., which is to expand the country’s fisheries production by 10 percent.
Lawyer Demosthenes Escoto, BFAR national director, Assistant National Director Isidro Velayo, Regional Director Sammy Malvas, Fisheries Planning and Evaluation Chief Maria Abegail Albaladejo discussed this recently with MAFAR Director-General for Fisheries Services Pendatun Patarasa, Director II for Fisheries Operations Dr. Macmod Mamalangkap, and Director for Agrarian Reform Support Services Dr. Tong Pinguiaman.
Director Escoto expressed his appreciation to MAFAR Minister Mohammad Yacob for acknowledging the importance of the meeting.
“This meeting with MAFAR will bring to the fore addressing fisheries concerns nationwide, which requires a concerted effort of all regions, including BARMM,” Escoto said.
To recall, BARMM ranked first in the country for two consecutive years in terms of fishery production volume, with a total production record of 4.25 million metric tons in 2021. Last year, this grew to a total of 4.34 million metric tons.
Meanwhile, MAFAR Director-General for Fisheries Services Patarasa conveyed MAFAR Minister Yacob’s message of gratitude and support in strengthening its partnership with BFAR to sustain the recent gains of the fisheries sector in BARMM and ensure adequate contribution to food security, improve farmer and fisherfolk income, and reduce poverty.
“The policy directions of MAFAR are aligned with those of the national agency (BFAR), including production increase food security and nutrition,” Patarasa said.
Accordingly, the ministry wants to focus on high-impact projects such as post-harvest facilities, including seaweed warehouses and the construction and rehabilitation of existing fish ports/landings to reduce the high fisheries post-harvest losses.
“MAFAR is looking at augmenting the production of the regional production both in Aquaculture and Capture Fisheries,” Patarasa further stressed.
At the end of the meeting, both the DA-BFAR and the BARMM-MAFAR agreed to keep working together for the benefit of farmers and fishermen in the Bangsamoro region and the rest of the country. (BIO with reports from MAFAR | PIA-10)
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