ARMM Still RP’s Top Seaweed Producer ; Davao Eyed As Seaweed-Producing Area

Davao City is being eyed as an ideal seaweed production area but the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is still the top seaweed producer of the Philippines accounting for 70% of the country’s seaweed production.

This was bared by Ronald Simbajon, a Marine Biologist and Seaweed Consultant who presented the unique investment opportunities of seaweed farming during the Mindanao Investment Conference held in the city from November 25 to 26.

Sulu and Tawi-Tawi are among the areas with high seaweed production but they are selling raw or dried seaweeds to processors who export it to China and other countries. China alone requires 80 thousand metric tons of dried seaweeds per year.

Seaweeds are farmed not only for its known importance as food but also for the extraction of hydrocolloids which are used as food additives, Carageenan for sauces and salad dressing and alginates for paper coatings, gels, dyes, adhesives, and in textile printing.

Seaweed farming is very profitable, he said because it is in demand in the local and in the export market. About 80% of the total seaweed production of the country is exported. However, he said, there are only about 20 thousand hectares all over the country being used for seaweeds farming as opposed to the hundreds of thousands of hectares available.

“Even the top seaweed producing area like the ARMM is not able to maximize its seaweed production because of factors like peace and order and trader control,” Simbajon said.

ARMM can benefit from the dollar-earning potential of seaweeds but the fact that it still ranked high in the poverty incidence level statistics released by the National Statistical Coordination Board shows that it is not maximizing its production capacity. The NSCB said ARMM appeared to be the poorest region in Mindanao with a 61.8%.poverty incidence rate in 2006.

Seaweed farming may be the answer to the country’s poverty problems considering that it will benefit over 160 thousand families dwelling in islands and coastal areas.

“Seaweed production is a potential dollar earner for the country if only the seaweed production areas are expanded outside ARMM,” Simbajon said. The other seaweed producing areas in the country which contributes about 30% of the country’s total seaweed production are Palawan and Bohol

He said the Davao area is ideal for seaweeds farming because of the large bodies of water here. Seaweed thrives in brackish or seawater with sufficient light.

Investors Urged: Put Money In Mindanao Livelihood Projects

Mindanao Business Council chair Vicente Lao urged investors attending the Mindanao Investment Conference which opened at the Marco Polo Hotel Tuesday day to put their money on livelihood projects for Mindanao even as he said no amount of economic growth can justify the increase in poverty incidence in the island.

Over 300 participants from the business and government sectors, peoples organizations and non government organizations joined the Investment Conference.

“We have the idea that the region’s economy is doing well but the increase in poverty incidence belies that,” Lao said. Mindanao, he added, is the second largest island but it lags behind in terms of economy as shown by the fact that 16 of the 23 poorest provinces in the country are in Mindanao.

Lao said Mindanao’s insurgency problem is caused by lack of opportunities in the region that is why these people have to do something else instead of making a living.

“Let us throw away the parochial concept of investment because it is no longer economically profitable to grow everything in your backyard,” he said. Instead he added, people should develop the networking concept and the value chain concept of supply and demand.

He said it would be more viable for the island to work as a whole network group where one product is produced by another area, using resources from another area and similar networking arrangements.

Lao also urged the community to help promote small and medium enterprises citing the SME’s role in Davao City’s economic turn-around.

“The 36,860 business permits issued by the city of Davao last year is evident of the SME’s role in promoting development,” Lao said. He said the conduct of the Mindanao Investment Conference will hopefully equip SME’s with inputs to manage their businesses

City Approves P25T Financial Assistance For today’s Mindanao Investment Conference

Davao City Investment Promotion Center chief Bobby Teo (left photo) welcomes participants to the MinICon.

The City government of Davao has approved a P25 thousand financial assistance for the two-day Mindanao Investment Conference which will open at the Marco Polo Hotel today.

“We are expecting up to 300 participants to join the conference,” Mindanao Business Council (MinBC) executive director Ednar Carlos Dayanghirang said. The organizers of the event said the Conference is doubly significant because it is not only the business sector that have signified their intention to join the MinICon but even peoples organization and non government organizations from various parts of Mindanao have confirmed their participation.

Dayanghirang said they are thankful for Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s support for the Conference both in terms of promotion and financial assistance. He also confirmed the P25 thousand financial support from the city government.

The Conference will focus on seven agricultural products including seaweeds, banana, coffee, rubber production, honeybee, Pangasius and moringa or malunggay.

MinBC chairperson Vicente Lao, who presented the agribusiness opportunities (that will be tackled during the Conference) to the members of the City Council last Tuesday, said they are very excited about the prospects of the propagation of Cream Dory or Pangasius since this will clearly augment the region’s aquaculture production.

Pangasius, Lao said, is like a cousin to the catfish. However, Pangasius fish can weigh as much as 40 kilograms and can grow as long as four feet.

Lao said Pangasius growing is fairly new to the Philippine but it is a growing industry in Vietnam and neighboring Asian countries. Pangasius fillet is presently being exported by Thailand and Vietnam for around $3 per kilo.

This was confirmed by Vitarich marketing associate in Mindanao Elvin T. Millan who said there is a big demand for the Pangasius fish in the world market.

Vitarich is one of the companies that is already into the Pangasius business and they are exploring several business options including contract to buy, contract growing, contract processing, commercial growing and trading partner. Vitarich has prospective growers not only in Davao but also in General Santos City and the Cotabato Province. The company, he added, is now ready to disperse the Pangasius fingerlings to these growers.

Mindanao Investment Conference Slated In Davao Nov. 25

Davao City will host the Mindanao Investment Conference (Min iCon)at the Marco Polo Hotel on November 25 and 26.

Min Icon, with the theme "Drive the Wheels for Peace. Invest in MindaNOW!", is expected to highlight various investment opportunities in Mindanao that will promote peace in the region.

The conference will present investment opportunities in Mindanao that are ideal for small and medium entrepreneurs including the production and processing of seaweeds, coffee, honeybee, banana, rubber, moringa tree and Cream Dory Fish or Pangasius.

"With this conference, we are optimistic that we can encourage more businessmen to pour in their investments in Mindanao so that we can offer more jobs to Mindanaoans," Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Southern Mindanao regional director Marizon S. Loreto said.