BIMP-EAGA sets sights on Palawan, Mindanao potentials on agriculture and fisheries production By Celeste Anna R. Formoso PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, June 20 (PNA) -– Investors participating in the 1st Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Agribusiness Cluster Meeting have set their sights on Palawan and its potentials in the production of hybrid rice. Department of Agriculture (DA) Region IX director Eduardo Holoyohoy, who represented DA Undersecretary for Field Operations Joel Rudinas in a media conference Wednesday, said one of the results of the agribusiness cluster meeting is the expression of interest by private investors for Palawan and some areas in Mindanao to play a big role in the production of super hybrid rice to alleviate food insecurity in the sub-region under the economic initiative. “Palawan is one of the areas now being considered by investors in the BIMP-EAGA initiative where they can pour in large amounts of capital for hybrid seed production,” Holoyohoy said, adding the private investors are led by SL Agritech Corp., a Philippines-based company that has a stake on hybrid rice production. SL Agritech Corporation (SLAC) has advertised itself as one of the leading research development and production of super hybrid rice companies in the Philippines. A subsidiary company of Sterling Paper Group of Companies that was founded by Henry Lim Bon Liong in 1998, SLAC is said to be now the major distributor and exporter of hybrid rice throughout the country and other countries like Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. “It now has partners in the BIMP-EAGA, particularly members of the private sector from Indonesia that are actively venturing with our local investor,” he said. Aside from hybrid rice, Holoyohoy said corn and coconut production were also discussed during the cluster meeting, where investors can cooperate on projects. On corn, he said, Indonesia has already started pilot projects on the annual cereal plant, and might soon expand in other “focused areas” of the BIMP-EAGA, particularly in Palawan and Mindanao. On coconut production, the two countries that are involved in the projects are also the Philippines and Indonesia because both are vastly planted to the crop. “The only problem seen was that we all have to harmonize our plans to be able to submit proposals to funding institutions for us to come up with a full-blown feasibility study,” Holoyohoy stated. “If our plans push through, Palawan will also benefit from this project.” Aside from plant crops, the agribusiness cluster meeting held in Puerto Princesa since Tuesday also dealt with strengthening sub-regional fishing industry. Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) asst. director for Administrative Services Atty. Benjamin F.S. Tabios said the two major projects that were discussed with positive impacts on Palawan and Mindanao are good aquaculture practices involving seaweeds production and small pelagic fishes currently “just ongoing between Malaysia and Indonesia.” He said Brunei Darussalam is not participating in these projects because it has no seaweed industry, and that its sardines industry which is the small pelagic is not of the same species as that found between the Philippines and Malaysia. In seaweeds production, what was discussed was the need to set up a standard by which the aqua crop can be measured. The advantage of Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines on this is that within them, they have the second and third largest producers of seaweeds in the world. “Imagine that, we have the second and third largest producers of seaweeds in the world, and we can form an alliance that can dictate prices, can dictate where or to whom to sell, and can dictate what species to grow. That’s an advantage for us in the Philippines too,” Tabios said. For the small pelagic, what matters right now is fisheries management. “Under the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, countries where certain species of pelagic fishes are commonly found are duty-bound to collaborate in management,” he said. The participating countries, he explained, should utilize common existing fish species sustainably. This means catching only a certain volume to allow the maintenance of stock. “Catching beyond means, catching beyond the capability of the fish species to reproduce,” he said. One species of fish, Tabios said, that is commonly found in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia is the White sardinella, locally known as “tamban.” Currently, he said, the BIMP-EAGA Agribusiness agreed on the need to establish a fisheries management organization for the three participating countries since there is none that exists to supervise the White sardinella. “If no one manages that, the Agribusiness Cluster agreed that one country can overfish this pelagic fish. So Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia should jointly come together, and bind themselves in managing the stock,” he said. (PNA) CTB/CARF/RSM
Posted on: Thu, 20 Jun 2013 14:10:31 +0000
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