BFAR center to produce the three million

Posted on June 1, 2002 - Filed Under Business |

BUSINESS LOG
By EVA C. VISPERAS 

The bunch of work,  after President Gloria Arroyo has assured the city government of Dagupan that the national government would give three million bangus fry to this city, lies on the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) center in Bonuan Binloc this city.

The President, accompanied by Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo , House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and a host of government officials, went to Pangasinan, particularly Urdaneta City and Dagupan City Thursday afternoon to see for themselves the extent of damage wrought by typhoon Chedeng in the province.

Part of her promised  assistance was the three million bangus fry (aside from the one million tilapia fry ) as the city was  declared Wednesday under state of calamity due to the initial estimated P30 million worth of bangus lost as fishponds overflowed due to heavy rains from Tuesday till Thursday.

Can the BFAR center,  which has its bangus hatchery funded by the Departmnent of Agriculture and by the Speaker,  manage to produce PGMA’s  promised bangus  for the affected fishpond operators?

Yes, we can produce that, said Westly Rosario, BFAR center chief in a phone conversation.

But Rosario said this would take about three to four months before they could give the needed fry. They could have delivered the needed fry earlier but the center was also affected by the flooding as Rosario said,” Tumabang din ang tubig dagat kaya di namin magamit and tubig dagat.”

There are other factors also to be considered  to explain the  delay. But, Rosario didn’t elaborate.

Fishpond operators need not worry where they could get the fry supply because of the big demand that the center should meet  and prioritize. Rosario said there are many sources of supply like the satellite bangus hatcheries in other areas and his office is ever ready to help them coordinate.

The good thing here is because of the bangus hatchery in Binloc, big time fishpond operators who  used to get imported fry supply, will now be  getting from the BFAR center.

There’s actually an unwritten policy at the BFAR center. Small fishpond operators wanting to avail of the fry produced here sold at a cheaper price are given priority.

“Kaysa naman humiling lang, di bigyan na pag nangailangan. They can go to us. If there is supply, we give them. If none, we could help them get from other sources,” Rosario said.

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