By Rowena T. Cruz Workers collect sugpo during the Yakap at Halik Multi-Purpose Cooperative’s partial harvest in Padre Burgos, Quezon. (...
By Rowena T. Cruz
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| Workers collect sugpo during the Yakap at Halik Multi-Purpose Cooperative’s partial harvest in Padre Burgos, Quezon. (Quezon PIO) |
PADRE BURGOS, Quezon - Nearly three months of shrimp production have yielded about 120 kilos of sugpo for a Padre Burgos fisherfolk cooperative, providing an early result from a provincial aquaculture livelihood intervention. Yakap at Halik Multi-Purpose Cooperative recorded the partial harvest on October 2 under the Shrimp Post-Larvae Project of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist-Fisheries Division.
Shrimp post-larvae were stocked on July 6 as part of the province’s effort to expand aquaculture production and create additional income opportunities for organized fisherfolk groups. The first harvest followed almost three months of grow-out and management carried out by the cooperative with technical guidance and production support from OPA-Fisheries personnel.
The 120-kilo yield represents only a partial harvest, but it already provides an initial measure of production performance before the remaining shrimp are collected from the culture area. Its longer-term value will depend on the final harvest volume, production expenses, prevailing market prices and whether succeeding production cycles can generate stable returns for cooperative members.
OPA-Fisheries credited the initial result to proper management during the grow-out period and continued coordination between technical personnel and the beneficiary cooperative throughout the production cycle. The office said the project is intended to develop aquaculture into a practical supplemental livelihood that can strengthen income opportunities for organized fisherfolk groups across Quezon.
“Sa loob ng halos tatlong buwan ng pagpapalaki at pag-aalaga, matagumpay na nakamit ng kooperatiba ang unang ani na humigit-kumulang 120 kilo. Ipinapakita nito ang konkretong resulta ng maayos na pamamahala, pangangalaga at pagtutulungan ng benepisyaryo at ng OPA-Fisheries Division,” OPA-Fisheries said.
Yakap at Halik Multi-Purpose Cooperative already has experience in fisheries-related livelihood activities in Padre Burgos, giving its members an operational base for managing another aquaculture production venture. The shrimp project adds another potential income stream that could strengthen cooperative earnings if favorable survival, growth and marketing results can be sustained through succeeding cycles.
The provincial fisheries office said its aquaculture programs combine technical assistance with actual production activities intended to strengthen the capacity of organized fisherfolk groups. These interventions are designed to improve output and diversify income sources while helping coastal communities reduce dependence on a single fisheries livelihood.
“Layunin ng programa na gawing karagdagang pinagkukunan ng kita at sustainable livelihood ang aquaculture para sa mga organisasyon ng mga mangingisda sa lalawigan. Patuloy naming isinusulong ang mga programang makatutulong sa pagpapataas ng produksyon, kita at pangmatagalang kabuhayan ng mga Quezonian fisherfolk,” OPA-Fisheries said.
The remaining harvest will provide a clearer measure of the project’s total output, production efficiency and potential economic return for the Padre Burgos cooperative. Those results will help determine whether the shrimp production model can support future cycles locally or be expanded to other organized fisherfolk groups across Quezon.
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