BFAR-Kalinga holds Aqua Trade Fair for local fisher folks

Tabuk City, Kalinga – An Aqua Trade Fair was held today, March 24, 2021 to help fisher folks in the province market their processed fish products, in time with the Women’s Month Celebration.

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) - Kalinga Chief Joyce Ducyogen said the trade fair intends to link the fish product processors to retailers and consumers in the province.

The fisher folks need to establish their market specially the business establishments or individuals who could buy their products in bulks as well as establish their connection to their source of cheaper raw materials for their processing.

Said activity was designed for the Kalinga Foundation Day and Bodong Festival celebrations, but was cancelled due to the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Among the products showcased were Tilapia Shanghai, fermented fish, fish noodles, dried tilapia, and eel sardines.

“Sinasabi kasi nila na peste ang kiwet (eel), so why not convert it into a product which is something usable at saka makakadagdag sa income ng ating mga fisherfolks and farmers,” Ducyogen said.

Aside from selling their products, each group also demonstrated the processes of making their products out of fishes they produced, and which the bureau had provided for the organizations.

Seven fish processing groups, cooperatives and fisher folks associations in the province namely Challenger’s Agricultural Cooperative of Bulo, St. William’s Farmer’s Credit Cooperative in Calaccad, Binongsay Malin-awa Savings and Credit Cooperative in Malin-awa, Rural Group for Transformation from Bulo and Pinococ Bago Farmer’ Association in Pinukpuk participated in the activity.

The associations are also among the beneficiaries of the numerous interventions introduced through the Special Area for Agriculture Development (SAAD) Program of the Department of Agriculture.

“Actually, diay SAAD we had been on production for 2019 and 2020 but we started teaching women last year nga agi-process tapnu haan laeng a production ti maar-aramid ta baka addan tu diay time a kaya tayun tun a supusupan ti demand ti Kalinga when it comes to fish products,” Ducyogen said.

She also added that in case there is oversupply of fish in the far flung areas and they cannot take their fish products to the market places, fish processing should be taught to our women and townsfolks. That way, they do not only learn to process and preserve their fish products, they also learn to do business.

If the products will not be sold today, a possible extension of the trade fair until tomorrow is being considered, Ducyogen informed.

When asked on what possible assistance they could further provide, she said BFAR office could hold trainings for groups that wanted to pursue processed fish products in coordination with their Municipal Agricultural Offices.

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