Tawi-Tawi Seaweed Production Proponent Groups (PGs) meet with PSO and RPCO-BARMM during a “listening tour” held May 24 in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi.

Listening tour is an initiative of PRDP PSO Mindanao and RPCO-BARMM to simply listen, hear concerns, identify constraints, and build rapport among their key stakeholders.

Dr. Aidarus Nami, MAFAR-BARMM Provincial Director for Tawi-tawi, commends the PRDP team for investing in the province’s seaweed industry.

Director Nami assures PRDP of his office’s full support to the seaweed subprojects in various islands of the province.

Ben Hamja, chair of Barakat Seaweed Farmers Association in South Ubian, Tawi-Tawi, says his group envisioned to be the “model” association in seaweed production. “Being a model is to show to other farmers the potentials of seaweed enterprise and the discipline needed to make it profitable,” he says.

Jemen Yacob, chair of Badjao Dilaut Farmers Cooperative, says the cooperative can help other farmer groups overcome constraints particularly in complying with the documentary requirements. “Considering that we are ahead in compliance, we can provide guidance to fellow PGs so we can all benefit from PRDP investments,” she says.

Meanwhile, Dr. Richard Muallil of the Mindanao State University in Tawi-Tawi stresses the need for PGs to have good sources of seedlings. He recommends that seaweed seedlings be drawn from areas where no inorganic fertilizer is applied. He says rampant application of inorganic fertilizer is not sustainable and even detrimental to the coastal ecosystem.

“We can provide farmers information and technology to make their seaweed enterprise more productive,” he says. | NTP-ODPD