"This method is definitely a new way to rationalize seaweed production, and it is the most efficient aquaculture system in terms of net profit compared with the other methods," Kalbi said.
He said a seaweed farmer can realize a net income of P119,250 - per cropping per hectare with a return on investment of 38.3 percent.
The recent "Inday" typhoon that battered the coastal barangays of Zamboanga had brought destruction to seaweed farms in the city, but thanks to Kalbi's modified triangular method of seaweed farming his one-fourth hectare seaweed farm was spared.
His seaweed farm alone survived the onslaught of strong winds and big waves, he said.
A hectare of seaweeds requires P300,000 capital investment, 60 percent of which goes to procurement of seedlings while 40 percent goes to labor and materials.
Kalbi said his method of seaweed farming has won in January 2006 the 2nd prize in the National Aquatic Technology Competition, and in May 2006 emerged as the regional winner in Gawad Saka of the Department of Agriculture.
Using nylon rope, coconut lumber, steel pipe or plastic pipe, a farmer can set up Kalbi's modified triangular seaweed farming.
Participants of the 7th Seaweed Congress will tour the BFAR Demo Farm designed by Kalbi in Calarian, Zamboanga City on Friday.
Palma has been working for the LEAP and GEM Programs since 1998. Prior to joining the GEM Program, he worked for nearly 18 years with San Miguel Corporation's Agribusiness Division in its Aquaculture Business Unit. He also taught at the University of the Philippines at Los Banos in its College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology, Department of Civil Engineering and was the Plant Manager of Integrated Aquaculture Incorporated (INTAQ)'s Shrimp Processing Plant in 2002.
Palma presented his second paper on supplementary aquaculture livelihood enterprise for seaweed farmers at the opening of the two-day Congress, where he stated that "it is no longer seaweed alone that is being cultured, but fish and abalone as well. The objective is for the seaweed farmers to get additional income from cage culture, which he can use to produce more seaweed and earn more. Then he can expand his fish culture for more income and eventually raised his family's standard of living."
Palma also discussed the high-income potential of culturing high-value marine species and recent developments that are conducive to making this happen.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program's Targeted Commodity Expansion Program (TCEP) is assisting former MNLF combatants who became seaweed farmers through its LEAP Program to diversify into high-value marine finfish culture.
To date, it was able to provide technical and marketing assistance to over 1,000 of these former MNLF combatants now called "LEAP Graduates" in the production of such species as humpback grouper (Cromileptes altiveles), tiger grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus), green grouper (Epinephelus coioides), and just recently, abalone (Haliotis asinina).
Palma cited the experiences and insights gained, so far, from almost four years of implementing the program. These include Marine Finfish Culture in pens and cages, particularly the factors that favor a seaweed farmer to go into finfish culture.
As discussed in his previous paper, several conditions in seaweed farming areas are favorable for culture of high-value marine species, these include the following: (1) They are located in coves, bays and reef flats with clean seawater; (2) Most of the high-value marine species are indigenous in the seaweed production areas; (3) There are well-established market for high-value marine species, e.g., in Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Basilan, and Zamboanga; (4) Most seaweed farmers live on site; in stilt houses built over water often with solar driers where they could attach a fishcage or build a pen; (5) Most seaweed farmers are also fishermen and catch many kinds of fish, big and small. There maybe fingerlings, say an undersize grouper (lapu-lapu), which when put to a cage or pen and fed will someday give them extra income; (6) Seaweed farmers are aqua-culturists in their own right and know the climatic, peace and order conditions in their respective areas; and (7) There are developments that are conducive for a seaweed farmer to go into culture of high-value marine species.
Seaweed farming is still one of the best livelihood and profitable enterprises there is. However, a farmer cannot culture all year-round due to weather conditions and the dreaded ice-ice disease, which has no cure as of yet, experts say.
Palma said aside from seaweed, there are many high-value, high profit species that the farmer can culture. Among them are the various species of grouper (K. kubing, K. bagahak, K. batang), napoleon wrasse (Mameng), and abalone (lapas). In particular, the culture of tiger grouper (K. bagahak) and abalone (lapas) offers excellent potential due to the availability of hatchery-bred fingerlings and juveniles in the local market, and suitable formulated and natural food.
Meanwhile, the availability of hatchery-bred tiger grouper fingerlings from hatcheries in Iloilo and Cebu and suitable formulated feed make it possible for farmers to culture this high-value fish all year round at optimum stocking density. Table 1 shows the profitability of culture in a floating fish cage module. Under these conditions, the total start-up capital is P22,049 or P5,512/farmer. The growing period to reach marketable size is 6 months. The potential income per year is about P198,136 or P49,534/farmer.
Abalone juveniles can now also be produced in hatcheries. In fact, the Mindanao State University - Tawi-Tawi will start its own production soon. Moreover, the most suitable feed for it is also seaweed - various species of Gracillaria, G. balinae and G. chloronofofelia -- which can be grown by seaweed farmers too in suitable sites.
Abalone can be cultured in simple floating cages or pen such as shown in figure 14. Grow-out culture is about nine months when stocking three cm-size juveniles. The total cost of the cage is about P1,000 with a potential net income of P1,723 per cage per year.
The seaweed congress is spearheaded by the Western Mindanao Seaweed Industry Development Foundation Inc., headed by Hadji Adam Omar.
