PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — The Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East-ASEAN Growth Area’ (BIMP-EAGA) first quarter meeting in Zamboanga City has identified five primary agricultural crops and two priority projects to fund to hasten sub-regional economic development.
The primary agricultural crops are rice, coconut, cattle, seaweed, and shrimp, and the two projects are organic aquaculture and the establishment of Halal or Islamic dietary laws.
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Assistant Regional Director Roberto Abrera said Friday that the latest development in the cooperation initiative of the four nations was an advantage not only to the country but to Palawan since seaweeds and shrimps are “national priorities” they were supporting here.
“Shrimp, locally known as ‘sugpo’, along with ‘tilapia’ and ‘bangus’, is among the national fishery priorities of the BFAR under the Department of Agriculture (DA),” Abrera said.
He said that BFAR would spotlight initiatives on the development of these agricultural crops as high-value export commodities.
“We are now waiting for project proposals regarding these identified crops. One suggestion was the production of ready-to-cook seaweed noodles, which Senator Loren Legarda is also supporting,” he said.
Organic aquaculture was a method of farming marine species in line with organic principles, he added.
Halal, on the other hand, was expected to grow in parallel to the growth of Muslim populations, particularly in the other three nations.
“The most important intervention and aspect of this are to fund the proposal to make it happen on the ground,” Abrera stated.
He said that it was good that the priorities were somehow aligned with their agency’s existing programs.
Shrimp which is among the identified priority products is also being developed and supported by BFAR.
“Sa ngayon, mas wino-work out pa natin kung paano mas ma-develop itong mga produktong ito as an export commodity to support BIMP-EAGA (Right now, we are working out on how to develop these as export commodity to support BIMP-EAGA),” he said. ( /PNA)
