MinDa steps up aquaculture dev’t in Zamboanga Sibugay

The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDa) is looking to establish king crab and oyster hatcheries in a town in Zamboanga Sibugay to develop the aquaculture industry in the region.

MinDa chair Emmanuel Piñol said in a Facebook post on Thursday they were in talks with Iloilo-based Southeast Asia Fisheries Development Center for the provision of technical assistance to fishers in Zamboanga Sibugay and they were scheduled to sign a memorandum of agreement next month.

According to Piñol, the fisherfolk community in the town of Kabasalan sources their crablets in Surigao to grow king crabs. Kabasalan Mayor Katrina Cainglet-Balladares said fishers could produce more if they would have a steady supply of spawns and crablets, including fingerlings to culture sea bass, groupers and red snappers.

The province’s daily production of oysters is currently about 700 kilograms while their king crab output has yet to keep up with the growing demand in the market.

MinDa recently received a P2.1-billion grant from the European Union, which will be used to procure ice-making machinery, blast freezers and cold storage and establish fish processing facilities. INQ