Puerto Princesa City seaweed growers learn good manufacturing practices

On November 29, 2018, the Puerto Princesa and Palawan Seaweed Network and the City Agricultural Office of Puerto Princesa, with technical support from USAID’s Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity (SURGE) Project, conducted a training on good manufacturing practices in seaweed production. Local growers from 11 barangays in Puerto Princesa City learned techniques to improve post-harvest processing practices so that they can meet consumer and export market requirements. Melissa Macasaet, Puerto Princesa City Agriculturist and Seaweed Network co-chair for the government, stressed the importance of good manufacturing practices, hazards analysis, and critical control points implementation for the production of fresh seaweed such as the caulerpa (lato). The implementation of these standard practices in food processing and preparation is crucial especially with the current initiatives of the local government to further develop the local tourism industry with the increasing volume of foreign visitors. Aside from facilitating the discussions, resource persons from the Department of Science and Technology-Palawan South and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Palawan South also offered their grant-in-aid programs and other services to upgrade the equipment and manufacturing technologies of local growers. USAID/SURGE continues to support the network and the city government in strengthening the local seaweed industry in Puerto Princesa City and the Palawan province.