Gov’t to build 50 fish ports

The Philippines plans to build 50 fish ports over the next three years, according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

BFAR Director Asis Perez said the agency wants to attain sustainable development of the fisheries sector by focusing more on building and maintaining post production facilities.

“We want to invest on post production this time, because majority of the budget is usually focused on increasing the production and we have implemented fishing bans in various fishing areas in the country, but we have seen that part of the process doesn’t generate the money. What generates income is the post-harvest facilities such as infrastructures, ports, cold storage facilities, ice plants,” he said.

Perez said the comprehensive fish port development program would complement the sustainable fishery projects of the government under the fisheries modernization plan.

He said the budget for the ports will come from next year’s budget of P6.7 billion, 45 percent higher than this year’s P4.6 billion.

source: Malaya