Capiz aquafarmers hurt by lockdown woes; seek help to lower feed costs

Dianala, Rex Delsar B.

Date

July 11, 2020

Author

Dianala, Rex Delsar B.

Metadata

Show full item record

Classification code

PN20200711_13

Excerpt

Aquafarmers from the seafood capital of the Philippines are feeling the sting of the pandemic as transport restrictions have driven down prices given the difficulties in distributing their milkfish, crab, and shrimp produce. In a dialogue with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources 6 (BFAR-6) and the Aquaculture Department of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC/AQD), a trader lamented that their usual shipment of 10 to 12 tons of crabs per day is down to 1.5 to two tons, while a fishpond operator shared that prices of milkfish have gone as low as 65 pesos per kilogram. “It’s been two months that we have not sold crabs and they have just been dying inside the fishpond because we could not sell them due to COVID,” shared Edwin Mayo, chair of the Panay Aqua Farmers Cooperative (PAFC), speaking in Hiligaynon.

Citation

Dianala, R. D. (2020, July 11 - 12). Capiz aquafarmers hurt by lockdown woes; seek help to lower feed costs. Panay News, p. 13.