Productivity of fish farms throughout the country continues to decline due to lack of quality feeds and fingerlings, according to aquaculture stakeholders.
In a statement yesterday, fish farm groups said a memorandum circular providing for the regulated importation of processed animal protein (PAP) exclusively for the manufacture of aquaculture feeds is yet to be fully implemented.
Importation of porcine PAP is needed to immediately address non-availability of quality feeds which is affecting growers’ feed conversion ratio (FCR), the ratio of the kilo of feeds needed to produce a kilo of fish and serves as an indicator of production cost.
“Due to the low quality of feeds, Filipino favorites like bangus and tilapia that are grown in fish farms now need more feeds to grow to marketable sizes… Higher FCR means higher production cost,” said Asis Perez, Tugon Kabuhayan convenor.
Adrienne Nara, spokesperson of the Taal Lake Aquaculture Alliance Inc. which is a major fish supplier to Metro Manila, said the group’s FCR has increased from 1.8 to 2 to 2.2 to 2.6.
David Villaluz, chairperson of the Philippine Association of Fish Producers Inc., said a kilo of bangus in Visayas farms used to consume only 1.2 to 1.6 kilos of feeds to grow large enough to be harvested but now requires 1.8 to 2 kilos of feeds.
“Higher FCR translates to a P10 per kilo increase in production cost. Add the P4 per kilo increase in feeds cost, the total increase in production cost is P14. Small fish farms may not be able to bear these additional costs,” Villaluz said.
Joseph Anthony Lanzar, president of the Malalag Bay Fish Cage Operators and Fisherfolks Association, said almost half of fish pond operators in Mindanao are affected by low quality of feeds as his group’s average FCR is now at 2.4 to 2.6.
Lanzar said securing supply of fish fry from local sources has become challenging with raisers forced to ship them from Indonesia.
Villaluz said the government should consider implementing a brood stock project to lower the cost of fish farming in the country.
“We need a central hatchery to provide adequate fry to our growers. This way we can stop our dependence on Indonesia. We are not getting consistent fry quality from them. It can range from Class A to Class C fry, depending on the seller,” Villaluz said. – Jed Macapagal