Agusan Norte fisherfolk receive livelihood support to boost fisheries production, income
By Nora L. Molde
BUTUAN CITY (PIA) — A total of 201 fisherfolk and community members from 10 associations in Agusan del Norte have received livelihood interventions from the Department of Agriculture–Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) through the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program Phase II, strengthening fisheries production, post-harvest processing, and sustainable income opportunities in rural communities.
The assistance supports the Marcos administration’s agenda of ensuring food security, reducing rural poverty, and improving the productivity and resilience of the country’s agriculture and fisheries sector. The initiative complements President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to expand livelihood opportunities for farmers and fisherfolk, increase local food production, and promote inclusive rural development.
To strengthen aquaculture production, the DA-BFAR Provincial Fisheries Office Agusan del Norte (PFO-ADN), headed by Officer-in-Charge Provincial Fishery Officer Felixberto Tanduyan, distributed feed inputs worth P471,265 to five beneficiary associations from May to June. These include the San Antonio Fisherfolk Organization, Maningalao Freshwater Fishpond Operators Association, Mag-uuma sa Tagbongabong Association, Balang-balang Hatchery Operators Association, and Dalicanan Fisherfolk Association.
The bureau also provided post-harvest equipment to improve value-adding and fish processing activities. Beneficiaries received chest freezers, pressure cookers, heat guns, and glass bottles for food processing, with equipment worth P196,132 turned over to the Maningalao Supermom Association in Las Nieves and the Balang-balang Pass-on Livestock Raisers Organization in Remedios T. Romualdez.
Also, DA-BFAR rolled out fisheries production intervention packages to three fisherfolk associations in Tubay and Jabonga, consisting of shallow-water fish shelters, complete fishing gear and paraphernalia, and chest freezers. The bureau invested P1.41 million in the interventions to enhance fishing operations and improve beneficiaries’ access to essential fisheries equipment and facilities.
To help sustain fish stocks and improve coastal resource management, DA-BFAR also installed four shallow-water fish shelters in identified coastal communities, creating productive fishing grounds while supporting the long-term conservation of marine resources.
Through the SAAD Program Phase II, DA-BFAR continues to strengthen community-based fishery enterprises by providing production inputs, post-harvest facilities, and livelihood support, that enable marginalized fisherfolk to increase household income, improve food security, and contribute to rural economic development.
The DA-BFAR SAAD Program Phase II aims to reduce poverty among vulnerable fishing communities by providing sustainable livelihood interventions that complement the Department of Agriculture’s banner programs and help establish community-based fishery enterprises that promote long-term food security and economic growth. (NCLM, PIA Agusan del Norte with reports from BFAR-SAAD and PPMSO-Agusan del Norte)
