The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) will hold a feasibility study for the establishment of an aquaculture feed mill plant being proposed in its main station in Tigbauan town, Iloilo province.

The research center is yet to release the timeline for the conduct of the study following the signing of the memorandum of agreement between SEAFDEC/AQD chief Dan Baliao, center research division head Dr. Leobert de la Peña, and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) regional director Remia Aparri during their meeting held at the research center in February.

“BFAR-6 will allocate and transfer PHP250,000 to SEAFDEC/AQD for the research center to conduct and prepare the feasibility study and related documents for the project, which is envisioned to produce low-cost feeds for local farmers,” read the statement provided by SEAFDEC/AQD to the Philippine News Agency on Wednesday.

The fund will cover costs such as professional fees, fieldwork activities, needed tests/analyses, communication, transportation, supplies, materials, and related expenses for the report and final document preparation.

“SEAFDEC will determine whether the project is economically feasible based on set criteria. It will also perform market, technical, financial, socioeconomic, and management feasibility studies,” the statement added.

In a previous interview, Baliao said the establishment of the feed mill is expected to revitalize the fisheries sector and likewise ensure food security by producing high-quality feeds at a reasonable price.

The establishment of the aquaculture feed mill plant is one of the projects to be implemented by the BFAR this year under the National Fisheries Program.

The project will be piloted in Regions 4-A (Calabarzon) and 4-B (Mimaropa) this year.

SEAFDEC/AQD will play host to the project to be implemented in Panay island with a budget of PHP30 million. (PNA)