BFAR-7 vows to improve fishery sector

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-7 has committed to improve the fishery sector following reports of its sluggish growth rate.

BFAR-7 director Andres Bojos said that the agency will continue to pursue good aquaculture practices and responsible fishing in the hope that the fishery sector’s growth rate will accelerate.

“I am optimistic that, in spite of its slow increase in performance, will still continue in its upward trend as we will continue to provide sustainable and environmentfriendly livelihood projects to our qualified fisherfolk beneficiaries while continue to intensify our earnest effort to eradicate illegal fishing activities,” Bojos said.

The region’s economy grew at a slower pace in 2015 by 4.8 percent, pulled down by the contraction in the industry sector, according to the National Economic Development-7.

The growth rate of one of the economic sectors – the fishery sector increased, although also insignificantly. Its growth rate contracted by 0.7 percent in 2015 from a contraction of 14.7 percent in 2014

Also, NEDA-7 director Efren Carreon said growth rate is expected to accelerate soon in the fishery sector with the government’s plan to create a separate and independent department for it.

“It’s difficult to make a prediction but considering the high trust rate of the President and his previous pronouncements such as streamlining government transactions, faster delivery on the implementation of programs… we are excited that the new administration can bring better economic performance,” he said.

Carreon was one of the panelists in yesterday’s news conference, which was done simultaneously nationwide, revealing the 2015 report on the economic performance in Central Visayas, including Negros Oriental.

Of the three main economic sectors in Central Visayas, services contributed the largest share to the region’s economy at 57.2 percent, said Philippine Statistics Auhtority7 director Ronaldo Taghap.

Taghap, who presented the highlights of the 2015 Gross Regional Domestic Product in Central Visayas yesterday, said the growth rate for agriculture and forestry sector alone grew faster from 0.6 percent to 2.8 percent.

Carreon said the key players anticipated for the agriculture sector to post a positive growth in 2015, although only slight.

“While total production remained low, a recovery was evident in the fishery, livestock and poultry subsectors with relatively better performances in 2015 compared the previous year,” he said.

He also emphasized that for the agriculture sector, Central Visayas has remained among the country’s top five producers of livestock and poultry despite the unfavorable climate condition in 2015 when El Niño continued to persist throughout the year.

“Only the crops subsector continued to perform below par especially in the second semester, understandably so because this was at the height of the El Niño,” he said.

Carreon said these circumstances are now a lesson to officials that the agriculture sector is very much vulnerable to weather shocks which have become more frequent.

“We strongly feel the need to develop more resilient strategies,” he said, remaining to be optimistic that the sluggish growth in the regional economy in 2015 is just temporary.

NEDA-7 is now in the final stage of assessing the implementation of the Regional Development Plan in 2010 to 2016, thus the release of data.

“Soon we will be starting the preparation of the Regional Development Plan for 2016 to 2022, which will highlight the major thrusts of the Duterte administration,” he said.

One of the new administration’s key campaign promises was to separate BFAR from the Department of Agriculture and make it an independent department.

Miasco/NSA