Co-op-funded tilapia-cage project’s first successful harvest

 The first harvest, which the co-op sold to members... good eating quality.

 The floating fish-cage.

 Fresh from the water..

 The fish-cage which received funding assistance from the co-op.

Fish-cage owner Rudy Divinagracia in action. -- Pictures courtesy of ELSIE DIMAUNAHAN/MMPC


By ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ

THE first tilapia cage project funded by the Mambulao Multi-purpose Cooperative (MMPC) under its livelihood program harvested its first crop recently.

The project is located at the artificial lake at the Larap open mining pit.

The fish-cage operator is Rodolfo Divinagracia of Larap, obtained tilapia feeds from MMPC on credit basis, according to Elsie Dimaunahan, the co-op’s operations manager.

She told MWBuzz: “Kung ano man ang halaga ng feedstock at iba pang items na inutang nila ay babayaran into ng katumbas na halaga ng tilapia (whatever they obtained from us on credit would be paid in the form of fish harvest (tilapia).”

Dimaunahan said the harvest would be sold to co-op members.
She, however, did not disclose the volume of harvest from the fish-cage, but it was apparent that the project has been successful with its first crop.

The first tilapia crop came after four months culture that began last April.

Dimaunahan said Divinagracia will become a member of the co-op as soon as he paid up his loan and at the same time paid his membership fee and shares.

Commenting on Divinagracia’s first successful crop, Dimanunahan said in a text message on Facebook site followed by Mambulaoans: “Nagharvest na kanina… binabati po kita Kuya Rudy (Rodolfo Divinagracia) …napatunayan mo po ngayon na nagkamali sila… heto po successful and iyong ani. (You just had your first harvest … you proved them wrong.)”

She was referring to some detractors of the fish cage-project who said it will not give good harvest because the water in the man-made like was not safe and suited for tilapia-farming.

"At masarap ang lasa ng isdang ito, sabi ng mga nakabili kahapon dahil malinis at malawak ang tubig na pinagpapalakihan (and the fish tastes good, according to those who bought it yesterday, perhaps because it was cultured in a clean environment)."

Divinagracia is one of the three tilapia cage operators funded by the co-op. The other two, who are raising fishpond tilapia in Osmenia and Larap, are still growing their crops.

Dimaunahan thanked Mambulao Mayor Ricarte “Dong” Padilla for his confidence in MMPC and for his workable livelihood ideas.

“Now, Mang Rudy has his own livelihood which is giving him more than enough in terms of income and the co-op has made some money from the fish sold to members.”

The municipal government recently transferred Php90,000 to the co-op livelihood projects to help qualified marginalized member of the community set up their own livelihood projects.
Divinagracia was the very first recipient under this program.



Email the blogger: ahernandez@thenational.com.pg