CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA)— A fisherfolks’ group in Cordova town is giving credit to the government on how they were able to boost their post-harvest methods and add value to their products.
Nicasio Baguio, president of Pundok sa Progresibong Mananagat sa Bangbang (PPMB) and a fisherman for 30 years, is grateful for the trainings they have attended that were facilitated by various government agencies in partnership with the private sector.
“Nagpasalamat sad mi nga naa gyud ming ingo nga nahibaw-an sama atong training sa FISH Visayas katong bahin sa among nahisgutanan na packaging, budgeting sa among mga income. Nagpasalamat jud sad mi atong seminar, kung wala pa mi naka seminar wala jud mi kahibaw sa among nahibaw an nga angay jud diay mag tipid,” said Baguio.
(We have learned a lot from the trainings, such as the one conducted by FISH Visayas on packaging and budgeting for our income. If we did not attend that seminar, we would not have learned the value of being economical in our business.)
Baguio said they were able to explore other livelihood opportunities as a result of the trainings.
“Nagpasalamat jud mi pagkamaayo sama atong seminar katong mga miagi training namo sa pag-deboning sa bangus, nakahimo sad mi ug magluto ug bangus nga nakasapi sad ginagmay among kapunungan,” he said.
(We are thankful that as a result of the training, we learned not only about deboning milkfish but we also learned how to cook the milkfish, from which we were able to increase our income.)
Established in 1990 with currently 110 fisherfolk members, PPMB is one of the organizations that participated in the training on packaging and labeling for the fisherfolks in Cordova conducted recently by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in partnership with the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) and Africa Fund for Self-employment (AFOS).
FISH Visayas
The FISH Visayas Project is implemented by AFOS Foundation in partnership with the DOST, Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR), and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
DOST assistant regional director Tristan L. Abando said the partnership aims to improve the economic opportunities of the fishing communities, including fish processors, fisher folks in the islands, and coastal communities of Region 7.
The training on packaging and labeling aimed to improve the marketability of the fisherfolks’ products and improve the shelf life to reach a wider market in the future.
“(We provide) trainings for the fisheries sector in Cebu so that they will also have exposure in the industry and for them to not solely rely on fishing activities as their livelihood but they have other sources of livelihood,” said Abando.
The training was also conducted in other areas such as Bantayan Island in Cebu, Siquijor, Negros Oriental, and Bohol.
Started in July 2019, the program is now in its second phase from July 2022 until June 2025.
Market sustainability
Abando explained that government agencies are partnering with the business chambers as they can provide market access to the fishing communities.
“We hope to achieve more or increase the income of the fisherfolks or the fishing communities because of the network that we have created with the expansion of their market access, and with the improvement of the packaging and labeling,” he said.
The fisherfolk are also taught on alternative packaging materials that would be more sustainable.
“The proper use of plastic and the proper disposal, for example, of plastic, not only disposal but the reuse and recycling of plastic form part of the training on packaging and labeling,” explained Abando.
“We could use plastic maybe for the primary packaging, but we can use cartons or boxes or cardboard or paper as secondary packaging … so we will be able to reduce the use of plastic in packaging,” he added. (ZCL/PIA7)
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