Processors, exporters push seaweed farming

CEBU, Philippines - The seaweed processors and exporters in the Philippines is urging more Filipinos to venture into seaweed farming in order to sustain the country’s number one position as the top supplier in the world.

Otherwise, this position will ultimately be taken over by other countries, which are now working double-time to snatch the market share of the Philippines, such as Indonesia, and China.

During the Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines (SIAP) board meeting held Monday, players are alarmed of the depleting supply of raw seaweed in the Philippines, and the continues shutdown of processing plants here.

“The bottom-line is we need the support from private and government sectors in expanding the seaweed farms in the Philippines. One way to encourage Filipinos to venture into seaweed farming is to make financing available for this purpose,” said SIAP president Benson U. Dakay.

The Philippines seaweed processors need an average of 120,000 tons of raw seaweed a year. The country can only produce 60 thousand tons a year, thus seaweed processors are importing their raw seaweed requirement from Indonesia.

Now, that there is a proposal by the Indonesia government to ban the exportation of raw seaweed, Dakay said the Philippines has to respond immediately to caution the negative effect of this announcement by the Indonesian government.

The Philippines is still the number one supplier of processed seaweed in the world. This position is facing a danger, if the Philippines will continue to produce lesser raw seaweed, and processors cannot import from Indonesia.

For an investment of at least P10 thousand, one can already start a hectare of seaweed farm. With the prevailing price of P65 per kilo, the one-hectare farm could earn at least P650 thousand in one year considering it can produce a total of 10 tons in a year.

According to Dakay, with the shortage of supply, seaweed farming has become a more profitable livelihood now. But, the problem of some folks in the coastline areas boiled down into lack of financing to start this venture.

The seaweed business has been started by the Philippines 1977 in both raw seaweed export and processed exportation. Because of its profitability, other countries like Indonesia, and China have copied the technology started by the Philippines, by pirating Filipinos to teach them the rope in seaweed farming and processing.

Dakay described the 1977 to 1995 as “golden years” for the processed seaweed exports. As the Philippines was both the number one exporter of raw and processed seaweed in the world.

 “The whole world was eating Philippine-seaweed in these years. Top food makers like Nestle and Mars [chocolates] got their requirement from us,” he stressed. —Ehda M. Dagooc