“It’s very informative. There are lots of opportunities and identified problems and we are learning a lot.”

This is how Brian Willis, an Australian private investor, expressed appreciation as he attended a gathering of more than 60 individuals from various sectors in a Seaweeds Stakeholders Consultation for the National Value Chain Analysis (VCA) on Seaweeds on July 12, 2018.

The Visayas-Mindanao leg activity was spearheaded by the Planning Component (I-PLAN) of the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) in partnership with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. It seeks to capture, collect data and information relative to seaweed farming activities in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Data gathered will be translated into a Value Chain Analysis (VCA) document which is vital in the creation of the Provincial Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP) to facilitate prioritization of investments for the industry.

And like Willis, the consultation gives opportunities for the major players in the value chain to interact, exchange ideas, share best practices and discuss constraints that will boost the seaweed industry.

GROUP SESSION REVIEW. The Central Visayas team updates key Seaweeds Resources through mapping out municipalities and water areas where resources are located and validates the flow of seaweeds within and outside the region.

The Seaweed Scope

Despite the experiences of seaweed production experience in the Visayas and Mindanao, issues on production volume, quality and insufficient quantity of propagules are still the issues encountered throughout the years.

According to Antonio Yuri Yap, Executive Director of the Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines (SIAP), 2017 data showed that Raw Dried Seaweeds (RDS) production in the Philippines is roughly at 97,765 metric tons (MT). out of the total market annual requirement of 144,960 MT.

Processors in the country continue to import seaweeds from Indonesia.

In the workshop, identified constraints along with opportunities, were given weight and complimented with interventions to form part of the national VCA for Seaweeds.

Among the segments captured were: alternative opportunities for the players in the chain, sharing of technology/practices from other areas, Role of Traders: Linking players and matching supply and demand among others.

This segments shall be reflected in the final VCA draft and will be disseminated to all stakeholders for reference. (Bexmae Jumao-as, RPCO 7, Writer)