THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said it set a growth target for bangus (milkfish) fingerling production of 6% a year until 2027.
The target implies fingerling output of about 413,000 metric tons (MT) this year.
“We need to produce 413,000 metric tons of fingerlings (equivalent to) 2.6 billion or almost 9 billion fry,” BFAR Region III Director Wilfredo M. Cruz said at an aquaculture conference on Thursday.
He said the Philippines has about 29,700 fingerling breeders.
By 2027, Mr. Cruz said the target is 11 billion fry, yielding 3.3 billion fingerlings and about 522,000 MT of grown milkfish.
The target is outlined in the BFAR National Bangus Development Program.
“Although 2022 has been a rough year for the industry, the industry is trying to cope this year,” he said.
In the first quarter, milkfish production rose 6.6% to 62,570.78 MT, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
He described milkfish as “the backbone of Philippine aquaculture.”
The industry exported 25,000 MT of milkfish valued at $5.8 million in 2022. The Philippines exports milkfish to 20 countries. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera