Bamboo Raft Method Seaweeds

Chapter 13

Region 4B: Seaweed Industry Cluster

13.1 Overview of the Industry

13.1.1 Situationer

13.1.1.1 The seaweed industry in the Philippines

Seaweed farming in the Philippines is one of the most productive and environment friendly form of livelihood among the coastal population. Seaweed serves as habitat and breeding ground for many marine organisms. Similarly it is also a source of human food, raw materials for phycocolloid production such as carrageenan and agar (food and non-food products) and pharmaceutical uses. The seaweed industry makes an enormous contribution to the Philippine economy. [1]

Seaweed contributed about 69 percent to the total 2008 fisheries production, with Regions 4, 9 and ARMM as major producers. The steady increase in production for the past three years (2005-2007) can be attributed to high market demand, better price and good weather condition that encourage farmers to expand their areas for seaweed culture.

The growing seaweed industry has benefited 200,000 coastal and island dwelling families and allied service of farming of over 20,000 hectares. [2]

The industry employs around 200,000 people, 99 percent of whom are seaweed farmers and the rest are seaweed processors, exporters and traders. [3] The Philippines is one of the top producers of seaweeds in the world, specifically the red seaweeds - next to China and Japan. Seaweeds are exported either in raw forms (fresh or dried seaweeds) or processed forms (semi-refined chips/carrageenan and refined carrageenan). The major importing countries of seaweeds and its natural products are China, France, Hong Kong, Korea, and USA.

The seaweed industry in the country continues to grow by ten to 14 percent annually resulting to world market earnings of three billion US dollars in 2008. [3]

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) reported that production of seaweed grew by 3.85 percent during the third quarter of 2009 compared to production in same quarter of 2008. This is attributed to the significant expansion of area harvested in Bohol, Palawan and Sulu as a result of continuous dispersal and availability of planting materials from the Local Government Units (LGUs) and established nurseries of BFAR. [4]

Production Performance

Fresh seaweeds

The total volume of fisheries production in 2008 was 4.9 million metric tons. Out of the 4.9 million metric tons, 1.2 million metric tons was from commercial fishing; 1.3 million metric tons from municipal fishing and 2.4 million metric tons from aquaculture. Aquaculture production contributed 48 percent to total fisheries production in 2008. Seaweeds accounted for 69 percent of the total aquaculture production. Palawan was the top producing province where seaweed farmers harvested about 444,355.44 metric tons in 2008. This was largely attributed to the interventions extended by DA-BFAR and LGUs on terms of seedling dispersal in more municipalities of Palawan. Likewise the farmers were motivated by the high prevailing prices and the sure market in 2008. [5]

In 2009, ARMM topped all the other regions in fresh seaweeds production, followed by Region 4B (MIMAROPA). Tawi-Tawi accounted for 26 percent while Palawan accounted for 14 percent of total seaweed production in the country.

Table 13.1 Seaweed: Volume of Production by Region, 2005-2006 (In metric tons)

Region 2005 2006 2007 2008 20091/

CAR 67.73 80.13 169.44 - -

NCR - -

Ilocos 141.79 173.3

Cagayan Valley 928.00 1,118.40 1,178.91 2,349.56 2,212.84

Central Luzon 649.50 119.55 254.40 215.23 138.40

CALABARZON 23,853.50 27,705.75 26,581.12 44,180.22 48,464.88

MIMAROPA 358,821.90 400,892.17 364,915.78 447,143.37 152,411.52

Bicol Region 41,353.50 50,435.58 51,407.86 50,649.30 42,401.20

Western Visayas 50,358.85 49,550.13 55,636.68 50,347.59 41,859.31

Central Visayas 107,363.81 93,735.37 108,439.68 111,116.97 88,915.45

Eastern Visayas 16,534.41 17,825.91 18,896.13 20,959.92 18.323.62

Zamboanga Peninsula 176,631.69 211,228.49 201,618.69 222,161.79 157,051.41

Northern Mindanao 34,673.45 33,803.07 35,524.82 35,818.16 30,311.96

Davao 1,809.58 2,201.69 2,161.10 2,625.91 3,497.11

SOCCSKSARGEN 236.67 36.43 82.33 188.91 186.05

ARMM 510,137.49 560,684.74 617,624.14 657,159.47 493,160.53

Caraga 15,177.24 19,488.60 20,578.50 21,498.06 19,053.27

Total 1,338,597.32 1,468,906.01 1,505,069.58 1,666,556.25 1,098,160.85

Source: BFAR. Fisheries Statistics of the Philippines, 2005-2009.

1/ January-September, 2009

Overall, raw seaweed production has plummeted to about 60,000 tons in 2009 from a high of approximately 150,000 tons during the Philippine seaweed industry’s so called golden years (1977-1990). Mr. Benson Dakay, SIAP President said that “our seaweed production has not been able to keep up [with the demand]. We should be producing more seaweeds to be able to produce more carrageenan”. [6]

Table 13.2 Seaweed: Volume of Production of Top Five Producing Provinces, 2005-2009

(In metric tons)

Province 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Palawan 355,311.00 397,848.84 362,390.09 444,355.44 149,862.80

Tawi-Tawi 307,114.00 323,076.00 361,912.49 377,892.27 282,350.30

Sulu 184,776.00 178,150.29 187,236.68 199,205.59 150,176.91

Bohol