DAET, Camarines Norte (PIA) -- Seafood lovers on Tuesday were able to purchase their favorite milkfish at affordable prices from a group of fishers who farmed the fish with the support from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the municipal government of Jose Panganiban.

Mariah Locao, a resident who just bought three kilograms of milkfish, said she was happy to find the affordable bangus at the Municipal Fishers and Farmers Market. 

“Elsewhere, I could not afford two kg of bangus a week for my family of five,” she said happily, hoping that the prices would decrease further. 

The Public Information Office (PIO) of Jose Panganiban said the price was lower because the milkfish was produced by the Samahan ng Maliliit na Mangingisda ng Barangay Osmeña (SMMBO) who received a grant from BFAR. 

“It was the fruit of their labor five months following receipt of a marine fish cage, 26 sacks of fish feeds and 12,000 pieces of milkfish fingerlings, all of which were worth P1 million,” the PIO said. 

In August last year, BFAR Regional Director Ariel Pioquinto handed a grant to Jose Panganiban Mayor Ariel Non. On Tuesday, the SMMBO harvested more than two tons of milkfish, according to BFAR Provincial Officer Rolando Tiam. 

The association sold their produce at affordable prices.

Small sizes were sold at P150 per kilo, medium sizes at P170 per kilo, and large sizes at P170 per kilo. 

These prices were much cheaper than the P200 per kilo rate in other markets. 

The municipal government provided the SMMBO with a space in the Municipal Fishers and Farmers Market and helped to ensure that the additional livelihood of SMMBO members is sustained. 

Tiam said that the SMMBO, which has 150 members, earned a net income of P194,500. (PIA5/Camarines Norte)