Department of Agriculture urges fish farmers to grow giant gourami

MANILA, Philippines - Agriculture Secretary Proceso G. Alcala is urging fish farmers to grow giant gourami (Ospronemus gouramy) as an alternative to bangus, tilapia and catfish.

Alcala said that based on research conducted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), giant gourami can easily be grown and can thrive on a variety of organic food including kangkong, duckweed, and small insects.

“Growing giant gourami will greatly benefit marginal fisherfolk as they need not buy costly commercial feeds to grow their fish”, Alcala added.

The giant gourami is a large freshwater fish native to parts of India, Indonesia, Malaysia and China . It is regarded a table delicacy in many parts of Asia because of its superior taste, and peculiar light-yellow colored flesh which is easy to digest.

BFAR Director Malcolm I. Sarmiento Jr. said they have been studying measures to reduce the cost of producing fish by looking into species that could be grown organically and is less dependent on commercial feeds.

The giant gourami can attain a weight of 0.7- 1 kilo in eight months culture period.

It can be polycultured with tilapia and other freshwater fishes with complimentary feeding and similar culture requirements.

Field trials are in progress for its organic culture using indigenous feeds, according to Dr. Adelaida Palma, chief of the Tanay inland station of BFAR.

Two varieties of the giant gourami, the albino and the black gourami, are currently propagated at the BFAR National Freshwater Technology Center (NFFTC) in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, and in the National Inland Fisheries Technology Center (NIFTC) in Tanay, Rizal.