Around 200,000 Pinoys live on seaweed farming

CEBU, Philippines - While some may look at seaweeds as mere marine plants, it actually plays a crucial role to the lives of marginal fishermen in the Philippines as around 200,000 Filipino families rely on seaweed farming as their means of livelihood.

Maximo Ricohermoso, chairman of the Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines, said that for as long as the country remains a huge player in the global circuit of seaweed producers, the industry will continue to open income opportunities for the country’s fishermen and those living in the coastal communities. Seaweed farmers could earn an average annual income of P200,000 he added.

"Our county is part of the billion dollars worth of the worldwide industry," Ricohermoso told The FREEMAN yesterday at the sidelines of the first International Seaweed Congress held in Cebu.

Ricohermoso also sits as president of MCPI Corporation, a local firm engaged in carrageenan production.

The industry's potential as a dollar earner, he shared, is about $200 million a year, saying the sector's dollar revenue generation could still increase in the coming years.

"What's important for us is the economic benefits of the seaweed industry for our local fisher folks," he said.

The country is considered as the largest producer of Philippine Natural Grade carrageenan, a product made from dry seaweed, which is used as a food additive and stabilizer. It is applied to many kind of foods and even pharmaceuticals also.

The product is approved by the United States-Food and Drug Administration.

It produces high-quality seaweeds that can demand for higher prices in the world market, thus benefiting the industry and the small coastal fishermen.

Last year, when super typhoon Yolanda hit the country, the SIAP official said about half of the country's seaweed resources were destroyed.

But he noted local growers have been able to recover with the intervention of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Agriculture Department and of the private sector.

He, however, expressed hopes that local governments could also extend some help to local industry players in terms of capacity-building and resources.

Southernmost island Tawi-tawi is the largest seaweed producing province in the country, followed by Palawan and Bohol.

The country's vast coastal areas are potential seaweed farming sites, with the advantages on favorable water current, good coral reef structure and skilled Filipino seaweed farmers.

September this year, SIAP and the Asosiasi Rumput Laut Indonesia signed a memorandum of understanding to develop the seaweed industry of both nations. Asian countries Indonesia and China are also major seaweed producers.

Under the MOU, according to SIAP, the country will import 30,000 metric tons to 50,000 MT of dry seaweed every year.

The association is also targeting to increase the country's export revenues to between $500 million and $1 billion a year, given the fact that seaweed products are exported to United States and Europe aside from ASEAN nations.

The three-day congress gathered seaweed industry players from Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Japan, Malaysia and European and US buyers. The participants included processors, exporters, farmers, scientists, entrepreneurs, government officials and other stakeholders.  (FREEMAN)