ARMM to sep up seaweeds plant in Maguindanao

THE Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will soon take a better advantage of its being the biggest producer of seaweeds in the country, officials said on Wednesday.

Director Malcolm Sarmiento of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Central Office said that their office in close coordination with the BFAR-ARMM has an impending plan to establish a seaweeds processing plant in the region.

Sarmiento disclosed that a PhP 3 Million fund has already been allocated to support the said project. “The fund is ready. We are just awaiting the BFAR-ARMM to submit the corresponding proposal,” he said.

The processing plant, which will be put up in Parang, Maguindanao and will be run by a cooperative of seaweeds farmers, is designed to produce semi-refined seaweeds in the form of chips.

Ordinary seaweeds growers are expected to benefit the most from the processing plant. Aside from having a ready buyer for their produce at a good price, they will still be receiving dividends from the earnings of the processing plant.

Both Sarmiento and ARMM’s Agriculture Secretary Sajid Druz Ali believe that the establishment of cooperatives will be the best way to improve the performance of the region in terms of seaweeds production and ensure that ordinary farmers and their families will be getting the most from their harvest.

Meanwhile, Atty. Frances Cynthia Guaini-Sayadi, ARMM Attorney-General, emphasized the need to assess the problems faced by seaweeds farmers in the region on their “micro level and not just on their macro level”.

Considering that most seaweeds farmers in the region have barely gone to school, Atty. Guaini-Sayadi said that educating them on key matters pertaining to the establishment and management of cooperative as well as the advantages of grouping themselves to form a cooperative is an imperative.

“The Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) of ARMM should immediately take this up,” she said.

ARMM Regional Governor Datu Zaldy Uy Ampatuan has also given his full support to the thrusts being undertaken by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF)-ARMM.

“We will be actively pursuing projects that will improve our fishery sector as inputs to the socio-economic development agenda of Regional Governor Ampatuan,” says BFAR-ARMM Director Keise Usman. (Press Release)