2 taipans explore carrageenan plant potential in Bohol

TWO taipans Friday explored Bohol 's potentials in setting up a carrageenan processing plant. Shepherded by businessman Norris Oculam, president of the Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Ko Beng Sum of the retail chain Unitop fame and Joseph Sy, president of the Chamber of Philippine-China Science, Technology, Economy and Trade Promotion, Inc. (PCSTETPI) visited the Provincial Agriculturist's Office (PAO) for quick facts, toured potential seaweed culture areas and called on Gov. Erico Aumentado to learn of his plans for the industry. “I welcome the move to establish not just buying stations here but a carrageenan processing plant as well. This will demolish the layers of middlemen, thereby giving seaweed farmers better prices by selling direct to the plant,” Aumentado said after Ko and Sy presented their plans.

The Philippines is now the top producer of carrageenan after the plant in Norway closed down. Carrageenan is exported to China , Europe and even the United States , hence, a virtually limitless demand for the semi-processed seaweed, exported in cake form. “But we need to increase the hectarage planted to seaweeds,” Ko said after Oculam reported that Provincial Agriculturist Liza Quirog pegged the current farm area at only around 5,000 hectares. “We need at least 12,000 hectares in order for the operation of the carrageenan plant to break even,” he explained. On top of the green pasture of exporting it, Ko needs carrageenan for his integrated agriculture and aquaculture business including the manufacture of organic fertilizer.

He is also willing to provide financing and technical support for local seaweed farmers to start expansion areas. Sy added that the carrageenan processing plant is labor intensive so that it will provide the Boholanos with job opportunities, too. The towns on Bohol 's north coast from Tubigon to Ubay and President Garcia already have areas in different stages of development planted to the seaweed. Talibon town is centrally located so that it is strategic for a plant, Aumentado said. “But we have not even explored the eastern coast, the Panglao and Dauis area as well as the towns of Loon, Calape and Tubigon on the west yet,” he said. Besides, during the first Bohol Seaweeds Congress last year held in Talibon, a resource person discussed that seaweeds culture in deeper waters is ideal because of less pollution, he explained, although this is not yet practiced in Bohol so far.

Ko wanted assurance of an increased hectarage in order for the processing plant to be viable. Aumentado assured him that he will convene Task Force Carrageenan after the Presidential visit on March 10. As the plant buys the already sun-dried seaweeds for processing into carrageenan cake, Ko said in other areas, farmers dry seaweeds on their roofs. Oculam told them that in the islets off the northern towns, farmers build bamboo structures on stilts near the culture area for the drying process.

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