Reinventing the Seaweed Industry of Iloilo Province: Stakeholders Gather for the 1st Iloilo Seaweed Summit
| by RJ Senangote
| April 17, 2023
With a mission of increasing the seaweed production of the Province of Iloilo, the Provincial Local Government Unit (PLGU) of Iloilo, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Regional Office No. VI, the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV), and the Northern Iloilo Seaweed Industry Association (NISIA) organized the First Iloilo Seaweed Summit held on April 14 to 15, 2023 held at Casa Real, Iloilo City.
The two-day summit was participated by more than 150 stakeholders representing various organizations such as Iloilo State University of Fisheries, Science and Technology (ISUFST), Northern Iloilo State University (NISU), Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT-U), government agencies like the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Local Economic Development and Investment Promotion (LEDIP), the Office of the Provincial Agriculture (OPA), the private and business sector, and various Local Government Units in the province.
Seaweed industry stakeholders posed for a picture on the first day of the Summit
BFAR 6 Regional Director, Remia A. Aparri on her Welcome Message during the First Iloilo Summit
“Let us take this opportunity to build a better future for our seaweed industry. Let us learn from each other and work together to scale up the production, trading, and utilization of seaweeds,” said BFAR 6 Regional Director, Remia A. Aparri, during her welcome message.
Governor Arthur Defensor as represented by Provincial Administrator Atty. Dennis Ventilacion expressed his appreciation to all the attendees and emphasized the importance of collective efforts in developing the seaweed industry in the province. He also emphasized that the summit's outcomes would serve as a guide to future actions that would lead to the industry's growth.
Major topics discussed during the summit included the Seaweed Production of Iloilo and Present Issues besetting the Seaweed Industry, BFAR Seaweed Culture Laboratory Initiatives, Seaweed Culture Practices in the Philippines, and Progress in the Seaweed Research and Development: Global Perspective, Seaweed Trade Industry Situation and Outlook, Seaweed Processing and Carageenan Production, Social Dimension of Seaweed Farming in the Philippines, and Seaweed Post-harvest and Potential Products.
“We, at the Northern Iloilo Seaweed Industry Association, are very thankful to have this Fisrt Iloilo Seaweed Summit because it became a venue and opportunity for us, seaweed farmers, to link and collaborate with different government agencies and the private sector. We have been practicing our ‘old traditions’ in farming but after this, we are open to adopting new technologies,” said Mr. Gerald Bano, NISIA President when asked about his insights from the summit.
The Iloilo Seaweed Summit served as a platform to promote the seaweed industry in Iloilo and generate more awareness among stakeholders. It also provided an opportunity to gather feedback, insights, and best practices from the attendees to help reinvigorate the seaweed industry.
“We are thankful for this event because, for the first time, this advocacy is given the right impetus, the right challenge, and the right promotion. And I would also like to deliver our Mayor’s message: promise to them that we will support the industry,” said Mr. Bonifacio Camilon, the Executive Assistant of Mayor Darwin Bajada of San Dionisio, during his response message.
Iloilo Province ranks third in terms of seaweed production in Western Visayas with seven seaweed producing municipalities next only to the Provinces of Antique and Guimaras. Over the past 5 years, from 2018 to 2022, BFAR 6 have assisted more than 1,400 seaweed farmers with 356.6 hectares of seaweed farm in the 25 barangays in the municipalities of Ajuy, Batad, Barotac Viejo, Estancia, Carles, Concepcion, and San Dionisio. These LGUs in Northern Iloilo produced a total of 1,648.96 metric tons of fresh seaweeds and 566.12 metric tons of raw dried seaweeds transported to Metro Manila and Cebu, respectively, which yielded approximately Php 98.9 Million Pesos in cumulative income for the seaweed farmers.
The success of the Iloilo Seaweed Summit through the commitment signing of various stakeholder groups signify that the spirit of collaboration in province's is alive. Participants pledged their resources and expertise to help develop seaweed local industries, especially those that promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth. It is hoped that this summit will pave the way for more collaborations and initiatives that will help strengthen the seaweed industry and contribute to the province's overall development.