Monday, January 05, 2009 Lower down the cost of Pangasius production By Joy Romares-Sevilla
AN OFFICIAL of the fisheries bureau in Southern Mindanao said the production cost of Pangasius farming should be lowered to entice more growers to engage in the activity.
George Campeon, director of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Southern Mindanao, said the private sector should make ways to lower down the cost of production for Pangasius farming.
He also said that buyer-companies should also increase its buying price of the fish variety so that Pangasius farming will also be beneficial to the farmers.
"Pangasius is bought by the buyer from the grower for P55 per kilo. A grower must supply a kilo and a half of feeds for each Pangasius before it will be ready for harvest. If a kilo of feeds costs P30, the grower already incurred P45 for the feeds alone, plus the cost of Pangasius fingerling which costs P8 a piece, a grower already spends P53 to grow one Pangasius. The grower will only income P2 per piece if the Pangasius will be bought from him," Campeon explained.
It was learned that a single Pangasius can weigh one kilo before it will be ready for harvest.
Campeon said BFAR can suggest to buying companies to increase the buying price so that farmers will be enticed to produce more Pangasius.
Today, Pangasius is bought by the Vitarich Corporation which processes it for fillet for export and for local consumption, he added.
