Pangasinan seeks investors for bangus industry

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — Dagupan City Mayor Benjamin Lim believes that in two to three year’s time, people will be used to buying processed bangus (milk fish) — deboned, marinated, processed or plain fresh.

Now the problem is how to market Dagupan bangus with certain distinction because "bangus looks the same."

"If we process our bangus and branded it as Dagupan bangus, certainly it can command a better price and we can compete with bangus produced outside Pangasinan," Lim said during a recent committee hearing aimed at inspiring parallel effort from the provincial government to promote Pangasinan bangus.

Fourth district board member John Agerico Rosario, who sponsored a resolution seeking government intervention in developing the bangus industry in Pangasinan, said that it is very generous for the mayor of Dagupan to offer that the bangus industry should not be limited to the Dagupan-produced variety.

He said that no matter where the bangus fry come from, as long as it is raised in Pangasinan waters, its taste is different.

Natalie Basto-Dalaten, an official of the provincial office of the Department of Trade and Industry, reported that sales of Pangasinan processed bangus in the export market reached $463,575.46 in 2002, $606,317.053 in 2003, $249,399.06 in 2004 and $403,000.014 in the third quarter of 2005.

Lim said that this idea of promoting processed local bangus has been presented to President Arroyo. The setting up of a bangus processing plant in Dagupan City was also proposed.

Out of the P50 million needed for the construction of the plant, only P10 million has so far arrived and the remaining P40 million may not come at all after Lim came out with an official statement asking the President to resign.

To push through with the plan, Lim is now asking big businessmen to come in as partners. Bangus produced in other Pangasinan towns which would be processed here "can be called Dagupan bangus as well, he said.

Lim is now coordinating with private investors to finance the project.

During a hearing conducted by the Committee on Agriculture of the provincial board, Jose Almendares, the provincial agriculturist, reported that bangus production in fishponds reach 25,825.49 metric tons in 17 municipalities.

Bangus production in fishpens or fishcages in 10 municipalities on the other hand has an annual production of 40,636.046 metric tons.

Dagupan City has an annual production of 2,614.80 metric tons while the rest come from the towns of Agno, Alaminos City, Anda, Bani, Bolinao, Dasol, Infanta, Sual, Binmaley, Labrador, Lingayen, San Fabian, Bugallon, Calasiao, San Carlos City and Mangaldan.

To sustain the bangus industry, Lim said government intervention should come in the form of passage of ordinances regulating the setting up of fishpens in the rivers, checks on mine tailings, river dredging, massive reforestation of mangroves, technology upgrading to ensure the bangus products can pass the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point, and formation of cooperatives involved in bangus production, among others.

Bangus is sold from P60 to P90 a kilo. But the industry is also facing several issues like unproductive bangus fry, low production of fishponds, low flushing rate of tidal water due to unregulated fishery structures in riverine areas and improper disposal of domestic and industrial waste as well as siltation and sedimentation.

Estrella is proposing the creation of a task force that would develop a program to sustain and help the bangus industry of Pangasinan.