MARAWI CITY—Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) maintained its performance as the country’s top fish producer with 31.6 percent (%) of the total fisheries production for the first quarter of 2023.

This is based on the Fisheries Situationer released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on June 29.

BARMM was followed by Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) with 11.6%, Region 3 (Central Luzon) with 10.8%, and Region 4 (CALABARZON) with 8.6% of fish production in the same quarter. 

Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) Director-General for Fishery Services Pendatun Patarasa believes that achieving this was due to the strengthened collaboration between relevant government instrumentalities, the private sector, the fisherfolk, and other key stakeholders. 

The factors in sustaining the fisheries production increase are the continuing technical assistance and capacity building, provision of appropriate production support on capture, aquaculture, and post-harvest and marketing to the fisherfolk, and strengthened the Fishery Regulatory, Quarantine, and Law Enforcement across the region," he said.

Patarasa said to be able to sustain the gains in the fisheries sector, the ministry has to double its efforts to ensure the implementation of plans and programs to maximize its contribution towards improving the regional economy, increasing fisherfolk's income, and achieving a food-secure Bangsamoro region.

BARMM recorded the highest fishery production in the entire Philippines for two consecutive years in 2021 and 2022 but made a sufficient contribution to the fisheries sector in 2022, which is all-time high growth as well, sharing 30.57% and 41.27% growth to the total fisheries and aquaculture production volume in the country.

Meanwhile, due to this significant increase in production, the country's fisheries sector has posted a new all-time high growth of 2.16% in production volume since 2010. (BIO/PIA Lanao del Sur)