Aquaculture firms to mount rare setting at Agrilink 2009

MANILA, Philippines - Aquaculture-related firms led by Santeh Feeds Corp. will mount a unique setting at the forthcoming Agrilink, Foodlink and Aqualink 2009 to entice more and more people to engage in fish farming.

This was bared by Agrilink 2009 chairman and Santeh Feeds president and chief executive officer Philip Ong, citing a grand aquaculture exhibit as a special attraction of the triple events.

Santeh Feeds, according to Ong, will join the Frabelle Fishing Co., St. Joseph Fishing Co., Finfish Hatcheries, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), Bernales Petshop and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in setting up aquariums of numerous fish species surrounding an all-blue centerpiece with brief backgrounders on Philippine aquaculture, its history and prospects

“We encourage everybody we know in the aquaculture industry to pitch in and make this year’s special setting as remarkable as possible. We are working around a sub-theme we call ‘Sustainable Fish Supply for the Filipino People’ to model it on,” said Ong.

“We are also working on exhibiting as much fresh and salt water fish species as possible, like pompano, siganid, grouper, vannamei, seabass, koi, abalone, snapper, red tilapia, sea urchin, macrobrachium (ulang), sea cucumber, seaweeds, pangasius, tilapia, bangus and other tropical and ornamental fishes,” Ong said as he urged the public to collate information materials from the sponsoring companies of the aquaculture seminars set to be held during the three-day run of Agrilink, Foodlink and Aqualink 2009 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila on Oct. 8-10.

The seminar topics include Making Money out of Guppies and other Live Bearers, Raising Koi and other Egg Layers for Fun and Profit, Going for the Big Time by Raising High Value Ornamentals, Niche Market vs Mass Market in Aquaculture, Investment Opportunities in Mariculture Parks, Culture and Market Potentials of Pangasius, Introducing the Humpback Grouper, and Cage Culture of Macrobrachium in Inland Waters.

“Prospective participants may check out www.agrilink.org for the final schedule of the Agrilink, Foodlink and Aqualink 2009 seminars. Our fisheries could become more globally-competitive if the players of the industry were able to share, not just products, but also helpful information to small fishermen,” Ong stressed, citing Santeh as example.

“A leading manufacturer of aquafeeds in the Philippines, Santeh, not only delivers the best quality products on the market, but also develop optimal farming protocols under different culture conditions, whether marine, brackish or freshwater. In this way, we help fish farmers in the country — especially the small-scale ones located in remote provinces — to achieve higher, more cost-effective yields,” Ong said.

Ong was the sure pick for the chairmanship of this year’s Agrilink, according to event organizer Foundation for Resource Linkage and Development (FRLD).

“When we decided that the highlight of this year’s Agrilink, Foodlink and Aqualink would be on the fisheries sector, we deemed it fit for Mr. Ong to be the chairman because of his expertise and the success of his own company, Santeh Feeds Corp.,” said FRLD president Antonio V. Roces at a recent co-organizers’ meeting.

The other highlights of the event include the international indoor and outdoor exhibits, live plant and animal display, product launches and demos, technology and marketing presentations, onsite contests, wholesale and retail and many other business activities, making Agrilink, Foodlink and Aqualink the country’s biggest and most prestigious annual international trade show on agribusiness, food and aquaculture.

More information can be obtained from the FRLD (tel. 8384549, 8384852; fax 8384573; or email [email protected]).

Co-organized by FRLD with 20 national trade associations, the triple events are supported by the Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural and Fishery Council, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and ABS-CBN as media partner.