By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
As biotechnology continues to flourish in the diaspora, the Philippines continues to double down on innovative ways to boost agricultural production while ensuring alignment with the country’s push towards sustainability.
This, as the Department of Agriculture (DA) unveiled a seaweed bioreactor installed at the BFAR National Seaweed Technology Development Center in Sorsogon on Wednesday.
The facility comprises an automated 1,250 L bioreactor worth P10 million, and additional modular seaweed bioreactors valued at P12 million, which enable scientists to set optimum conditions for seaweed growth that would result in the production of greater volumes of healthier seaweed propagules in the least possible time.
In turn, it would replace decades-old laboratory methods that relied on improvised bottles, manual aeration and less precise propagation techniques.
The first batches of propagules will be sent to major producing areas including Zamboanga, Palawan and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), where demand for quality planting materials remains high.
Cebu, Iloilo, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, and Masbate are next in line. BFAR will train farmers before distributing the propagules to maximize survival rates and yields.
As the country’s fourth largest producer of seaweed, this milestone seeks to uplift the livelihoods of seaweed farmers and ensure that they are able to produce quality products that are used globally in food processing, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and various other industrial products.
Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. said in a statement, “Our goal is simple. We want to provide clean, disease-free planting materials from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao and help regain the Philippines position as the world’s leading Kappaphycus seaweed producer.”
The DA is also studying additional bioreactor facilities in Palawan and Mindanao to expand production capacity while accelerating research on new seaweed varieties for food, pharmaceuticals, industrial applications and even organic fertilizer. (with report from Elijah Canlas | PTV News)
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