Saturday, November 08, 2008 Lanao del Sur inland fisheries up for improvement
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) has laid down plans and programs to improve the inland fisheries in the province of Lanao del Sur.
DA-Armm newly appointed Regional Secretary Datu Kaise Usman said the improvement plans and programs will be implemented soon.
Usman said the plans for implementation, as far as fishery programs is concerned in Lanao del Sur, are the delivery of quality agri-fishery services, especially in Marantao Fish Farm.
He said there would be dialogues with fisherfolks in the area on how to improve their fish farming skills "so that they will be able to have bigger harvest and subsequently reaping better sales for good income for their families."
He said rehabilitation of the existing fishpond and hatchery within the Mindanao State University System campus is also one of the top priorities of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Armm.
The move is in line with the program of BFAR to improve the quality of fish production, especially tilapia and bongkaong or carp fish, which was already given a reasonable funding in the past.
A hatchery was made available to further improve the production of carp fish in the area.
Usman added that a group of technical staff of BFAR-Armm was sent to Baguio City to observe the production of inland fishes, like tilapia and carp fish, as it has an almost similar climate like that of Lanao del Sur.
The plan of increasing inland fish production in the area can only be realized if DA-Armm could supply bigger volume of fingerlings in the area, Usman said.
Under his leadership, Usman assured fisherfolks around Lake Lanao and inland fish farmers of Marawi City and Lanao del Sur that the fisheries component of his department will do everything to improve the quality of inland fishing of the area through all available resources of DA-Armm. (Bong Garcia)
