1,783 projects eyed to curb poverty in fishing communities

TACLOBAN CITY, Jan. 20 (PNA) – The newly launched Fisheries Coastal Resources and Livelihood (FishCORAL) Project will carry out 1,783 livelihood project in poor fishing communities in Eastern Visayas.

These projects, designed to raise the income of fishermen by 10 percent and cut poverty incidence by 5 percent, include seaweed farming, fish culture, aquasilviculture, fish pen/pond and processing.

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Regional Director Juan D. Alabaladejo said the new project primarily funded by the United Nations – International Fund for Agricultural Development (UN-IFAD) will cover 500 villages in Matarinao Bay, Leyte Gulf, Silago-Cabalian Bays, and Maqueda Bay. 

In Matarinao Bay, these coastal towns are Gen. Macarthur, Hernani, Quinapondan, and Salcedo in Eastern Samar. 

In Leyte Gulf, coverage areas are Balangiga, Giporlos, Guiuan, Lawaan, Mercedes, Quinapondan, and Salcedo in Eastern Samar; Basey and Marabut in Samar; Abuyog, Dulag, Javier, MacArthur, Mayorga, Palo, Tacloban City, Tanauan, and Tolosa in Leyte.

For Silago-Cabalian Bays, the project will reach out to fishermen in Southern Leyte towns of Anahawan, Hinunangan, Hinundayan, Liloan, San Juan, Silago, and Saint Bernard.

In Maqueda Bay, these areas are Catbalogan City, Daram, Jiabong, Motiong, Paranas, Pinabacdao, San Sebastian, Talalora, Villareal, Zumarraga.

Of the 1,783 projects, 760 are for seaweed farming, 471 for fish culture, 452 for aquasilviculture, 32 for fish pen/pond, 50 for processing, and 18 for fishery-related enterprise projects.

Livelihood development is just of the components of FishCORAL, which focuses on organizational strengthening and promotion of microenterprises.

Training modules will be provided covering topics such as group organization and management, basic entrepreneurship, business management, value-chain concepts and approaches, coastal resources management and gender mainstreaming. 

“FishCORAL project will provide Php100,000 per eligible people’s organization (PO) activity to support the inital development of individual livelihood enterprises for members of the fishing communities,” Albaladejo added.

The project financed inputs for livelihood will be provided as a package combined with the provision of training for PO members. Training will include both technical skills and the business development aspects.

On Tuesday, BFAR and UN-IFAD launched in this city the Php1.86 billion FishCORAL Project for 1,098 poverty-stricken communities in 11 target coastal areas in Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas, Caraga Region, and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The project will intensify measures to lessen poverty incidence in fishing communities and rally the protection and conservation of coastal resources. (PNA)

FPV/SARWELL Q. MENIANO