02 November 2005
FEATURE: Go into processing, bangus producers urged
LINGAYEN – Milkfish producers of Pangasinan were challenged to go into processing to produce products that can be exported abroad and earn the needed dollar exchange for the country.
The challenge was made by Dagupan City Mayor Benjamin Lim when he spoke recently before the provincial board which is currently determining the actual state of the province’s milkfish industry.
Lim said processing is what milkfish producers should look into for them to earn enough cash “because deboned and marinated milkfish are much in demand among Filipinos abroad.”
Despite some financial difficulties, the Dagupan mayor is seeking the establishment of a multi-million peso fish processing plant in Dagupan to produce the kind of milkfish that is much-sought after in the United States, Middle East and in other places where there are Filipinos.
The project got snagged as Dagupan is still awaiting the additional P40 million promised by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for the project when she guested at the 1st National Bangus Congress held here two years ago. With recent political developments particularly on the impeachment issue, the hoped-for funding however appears to have hit a snag.
Lim assured that thru proper, modern processing, the milkfish produced in Pangasinan, particularly Dagupan City, can be marketed “with distinction.”
Pangasinan officials are planning to brand the milkfish produced in the province to distinguish them from the products coming from other parts of the country, like Saranggani, Iloilo, Samar, Leyte and Sulu.
Lim claimed that the milkfish produced in Dagupan is the tastiest among all the milkfish produced in the entire country, adding that the milkfish produced in the western part of the province are now catching up fast in point of taste.
“When you bring bangus to the market, they all look alike. They can be called Bangus Dagupan when in fact they are not,” he said, adding that this is the reason why local milkfish should be branded.
The challenge was made by Dagupan City Mayor Benjamin Lim when he spoke recently before the provincial board which is currently determining the actual state of the province’s milkfish industry.
Lim said processing is what milkfish producers should look into for them to earn enough cash “because deboned and marinated milkfish are much in demand among Filipinos abroad.”
Despite some financial difficulties, the Dagupan mayor is seeking the establishment of a multi-million peso fish processing plant in Dagupan to produce the kind of milkfish that is much-sought after in the United States, Middle East and in other places where there are Filipinos.
The project got snagged as Dagupan is still awaiting the additional P40 million promised by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for the project when she guested at the 1st National Bangus Congress held here two years ago. With recent political developments particularly on the impeachment issue, the hoped-for funding however appears to have hit a snag.
Lim assured that thru proper, modern processing, the milkfish produced in Pangasinan, particularly Dagupan City, can be marketed “with distinction.”
Pangasinan officials are planning to brand the milkfish produced in the province to distinguish them from the products coming from other parts of the country, like Saranggani, Iloilo, Samar, Leyte and Sulu.
Lim claimed that the milkfish produced in Dagupan is the tastiest among all the milkfish produced in the entire country, adding that the milkfish produced in the western part of the province are now catching up fast in point of taste.
“When you bring bangus to the market, they all look alike. They can be called Bangus Dagupan when in fact they are not,” he said, adding that this is the reason why local milkfish should be branded.
