News
01/26/2017
A Glimpse of the Seaweed Industry in the Philippines
By: Meara Carys P. Toleran, Jimwell L. Soliman, Niño Rigo Emil G. Lim, Muhaimin Rex C. Lagurin, John Patrick D. Mercado, Christian Joseph C. Ronquillo
The United States Agency for International Development Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development (USAID STRIDE) hand in hand with De La Salle University (DLSU) continues with the Phase 2 of the research project entitled “Process Streamlining of the Algae Industry in the Philippines”. As the project aims to find ways in improving the drying and cultivation process of algae, and its socio-economic impact, a Visayas’ fieldwork was commenced to investigate the implication of the seaweed, also known as macroalgae, industry in the country.
Started on the 21st of November 2016, the team led by Dr. Marlon Era visited Iloilo and Cebu to conduct a one on one interview with the seaweed farmers of the respective places. The interview is aimed to know the drying process of seaweed and its socio-economic impact to the farmers. With the help of Ms. Soledad Garibay of University of the Philippines Visayas (Iloilo), the team was able to set an appointment with the seaweed farmers of Brgy. Naborot, San Dionisio, Iloilo which can be reached by a 45 minute boat ride from the city proper of San Dionisio. An association known as Naborot Fisherfolks Association (NAFIA) comprises of seaweed farmers and fishermen of the area. The association is composed of 36 members but only 26 are active. The team interviewed a total of 13 informants including few of the officers of NAFIA and their president, Mr. Gerald Bano. The association was only established a year ago as this was the time Care Philippines introduced them to seaweed farming. From then on, the members have continued growing and planting seaweed for their livelihood.
The team proceeded to Cebu where the Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines (SIAP) held a National Seaweed Conference in Mandaue City on dates 23, 24 and 25. Led by the SIAP Chair Alfredo Pedrosa III, the conference was attended by government agencies, some academic institutions, seaweed farmers, traders and processors from different parts of the Philippines. The conference tackled different topics including environmental concerns in seaweed farming, carrageenan use and the issues and concerns of the seaweed farmers. It was followed with a workshop for the delegates, to be able identify their main problems and concerns about the seaweeds and discussed it with an open forum. Moreover, a faculty of DLSU’s Physics Department and also a part of the project team, Dr. Nelson Arboleda Jr., presented an overview of the current status of the micro and macroalgae researches in the Philippines and introduced the Algae BioInnovation Global Hub (Algae BIG Hub) website. This is also the venue of the interview of the seaweed farmers/traders from different regions took place. The team was joined by DLSU Mechanical Engineering Undergraduates and were able to interview a total of 18 seaweed farmers/traders.
Another team led by Dr. Alvin Culaba and Dr. Aris Ubando visited the Marine Colloids Philippines Incorporated’s (MCPI) seaweed farm in Bohol under the management of Mr. Bert Perilla. The group was able to know the cultivation, harvesting, and drying practices of the company. Currently, the company utilizes the heat coming from the sun by laying out the seaweeds on top of nets a process called sun-drying. Then, the seaweeds were mixed from time to time to even out the drying process. According to Mr. Perilla, it usually takes 4-7 days to dry the seaweeds in a fair weather while a minimum 7 days to dry during the rainy season. In addition, some of the seaweeds were tied with plastic straws and suspended on top of bamboo for a more efficient way of drying. Furthermore, another set of interviews was conducted on three seaweed farmers who work for the company with regards to the quality and management of their seaweed production.