TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (PIA) – – Buguey, Cagayan Mayor Licerio Millare Antiporda III revealed that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – Convention on Exposition Trade and Investment Mission has invited Buguey to join the Food Expo Pro which will be held in Hongkong on August 14-17.
During the celebration of its 3rd Guraman and Malaga Festival on July 26, Antiporda said that their fishery resources such as mangrove crab and malaga (Rabbitfish) will be two of the seafood products that will be displayed in the Philippine booth.
According to the International Food Exhibition (IFEX) Philippines, Buguey’s fishing and farming village, established in 1596, is renowned for its sustainable seafood practices.
Home to the 1st Mangrove Crab Hatchery, Buguey is celebrated for its rich diversity of fisheries resources. It proudly represents the Philippines’ fisheries heritage, boasting a vast 24,000-hectare seawater jurisdiction, 422 hectares of brackish river, 1,091 hectares of fishponds, and 141.12 hectares of thriving mangroves.
“This will be a big help in the wider aspect of marketing of our crabs. This a great opportunity for us to showcase our crabs and malaga to the world which will attract possible investors in the locality to support our seafood industry” Antiporda said.
“I extend my gratitude to the DTI, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Department of Science and Technology, and the Cagayan State University for always assisting us and providing the technical needs and necessary facilities to further expand our crab and malaga industries,” Antiporda added.
In addition, to further support the fishing industry of Buguey, the local government unit of Buguey and the DTI marked the commencement of the construction of a Cold Storage Facility in a groundbreaking ceremony held on July 26.
Antiporda said that the DTI funded the construction of a Cold Storage Facility worth P9.035 million while another P5 million was shelled out by the LPGMA partylist.
As the province’s major source of aqua-marine products such as malaga (rabbitfish), mangrove crabs, and guraman (Gracilaria species), Antiporda said that the primary aim of the facility is to prevent post-harvest losses after a fishery resource is caught or harvested.
This is our support to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call to ensure food security by providing proper technology and infrastructure support to production areas,” the mayor said.
On the other hand, in a statement, Narag said that the provision of a Shared Service Facility (SSF) will help sustain the food security thrusts of the municipality as well as inspire the increase of aquaculture production of the fish cage operators.
“The facility will keep the fish preserved and safe as it goes to the market, be it the processors or the end consumers,” she added. (OTB/MDCT/PIA Cagayan)
