CITY OF TABUK, Kalinga (PIA)--Fish production in small volume is now becoming an alternative livelihood among farmers in the upland areas in the province.

Hundreds of upland rice farmers converted portion of their rice paddies into fishponds to raise tilapia. Raising tilapia goes hand in hand with palay production in order to make food readily available on the table and serve also one primary goal in life - to live a healthy life.

Other than family consumption, taking care of tilapia  can provide  income  in  four to five months when they can be harvested  and be sold, and others maybe for  payment for labor rendered instead of cash.

With the increasing enthusiasm of farmers turning fisherfolks, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources  Provincial Fishery Office (PFO) during the first semester trained 834 fishpond operators in the seven municipalities of Kalinga and this city on aquaculture to introduce them to fishpond operation as source of food an alternative livelihood.

Provincial Fishery Officer Joyce Ducyogen said they trained the farmers on entrepreneurship, values restoration and leadership, organizational and financial development management. The participants are beneficiaries of the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) fishpond program and are mostly new owners of fishpond. 

After the training and validation as to their readiness, the new fishpond owners   in the municipalities of Balbalan, Pasil, and Tanudan were distributed fingerlings with free feeds. Also included in the distribution are owners of rehabilitated fishponds and those not covered by SAAD in 2019 and 2020.

BFAR allots 1,000 fingerlings to every 200 square meter fishpond and a one-time free 10 bags of feeds. 

The PFO distributed 290,000 fingerlings in separate dates during the second quarter to fisherfolks in five municipalities and this city.   

Pasil fisherfolks received a total of  92,000 fingerlings;  Tabuk City with  60,000;  Tanudan, 75,000; Balbalan,50,000; and Rizal,  11,000. There were also 2,000  walk-in clients. Distribution will continue for beneficiaries in Lubuagan, Tinglayan and Pinukpuk.

Another training on entrepreneurship, values restoration and leadership is  planned to be conducted in Wester Uma, an ELCAC barangay in Lubuagan. (JDP/PAB-PIA CAR, Kalinga)