Tilapia farming is now accessible to selected beneficiaries in Laguna and Batangas. Through the initiative of an agency of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), a total of 14 farmer cooperators are trained and involved in tilapia culture.
The project, “Tilapia para sa Pamayanan [Backyard Tilapia Farming],” of the DOST’s Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) provided free fingerlings, feeds and technical support to farmer cooperators in 17 fishponds with area of 2,798 sq m in Laguna and Batangas.
Started in June, the project has benefited the following barangays in Laguna: Malinao, Taytay and Munting Kawayan in the municipality of Majayjay; Pupuy in Bay; Mabacan in Calauan; and Malinta in Los Baños.
In Batangas, the barangays covered are Bucana, Cogonan, Manggahan Putat, Bautista, and Butucan in the municipality of Nasugbu.
Benefits to farmer cooperators
“The project will provide our family food supply and additional income as we can sell our tilapia harvest to our neighbors in our barangay,” said Fe Amor Barcelon in Filipino. Barcelon is a farmer cooperator from Cogonan, Nasugbu, Batangas.
According to Engr. Eduardo V. Manalili, director of the Inland Aquatic Resources Research Division of PCAARRD, beneficiaries were selected based on two criteria: first, the area of the farmer should have a sustainable source of water and a dug-up land that can serve as a fishpond; and second, the farmer should be willing to learn about tilapia culture and processing.
Before the conduct of tilapia farming, farmer cooperators were trained on developing and maintaining a fishpond; fertilizing the fishpond using organic or inorganic fertilizers; and harvesting.
Moreover, they were also provided information on what feeds should be given to the tilapia, postharvest technology and record keeping.
Making tilapiang dinanggit, a tilapia processing method, was also taught to the farmer cooperators.
“Our overarching objective for this project is to provide our fellow Filipinos a source of livelihood that can sustain for many years,” Manalili said.
Since the fingerlings and feeds are given for free, James Jacobo, a farmer cooperator from Nasugbu, Batangas, said the initiative is a huge help for them and other farmers selected for the project.
“This initiative of the government and PCAARRD is a huge help for us. The only thing we need to do is to maintain the fishpond. In three to four months, we can harvest tilapia, which will benefit our family as well as my caretakers and our neighbors,” Jacobo said in Filipino.
Providing fresh tilapia to indigent families
Part of the project is maintaining three fishponds of Laguna State Polytechnic University (LSPU), measuring 180 square meters each.
After three months of tilapia culture, the grown-up tilapia were harvested from two ponds, totaling 130 kilograms. Seventy percent, or 90 kg, of the harvest were given to indigent LSPU employees and their families.
Meanwhile, 30 percent, or 40 kg, of the harvest were donated to families isolated in the Los Baños Isolation Facilities.
The donation was handed over to Los Baños Mayor Caesar Perez and Hanna Erika Labina, Los Baños Municipal Social Welfare and Development officer.
Galing-PCAARRD Kontra Covid-19
DOST-PCAARRD spearheaded the project in collaboration with the LSPU, Batangas State University, local government units, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Department of Agriculture.
The Tilapia para sa Pamayanan is one of the many projects of the council to address the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in poor communities of the country.
It is part of the program, Good Agri-Aqua Livelihood Initiatives toward National Goals (Galing)-PCAARRD Kontra Covid-19.
Previously launched projects of Galing-PCAARRD included “Gulayan sa Pamayanan [Urban and Backyard Vegetables Gardening],” which provides materials for urban gardening in select areas in Metro Manila.
There was also the “Manok at Itlog sa Pamayanan [Village-scale chicken meat and eggs production],” which promotes chicken farming for meat and egg, as well as “ItikPinas [Duck egg production and processing]” as sources of livelihood.
Image credits: ACD PCAARRD