Puerto Princesa-Palawan Seaweed Network joins 3rd Philippine Seaweed Congress in Cebu

On October 13, officers and representatives of the Puerto Princesa-Palawan Seaweed Network participated in the 3rd Philippine Seaweed Congress in Cebu. The congress is a national assembly of all major seaweed stakeholders in the Philippines such as growers, processing companies, traders, government agencies, and research and development institutions. As a member of the Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines (SIAP), the Seaweed Network had an opportunity to negotiate with various processing companies and exporters such as the MCPI Corp., TBK Manufacturing Corp., Biosolutions Intl. Corp., and Shemberg Marketing Corp. for direct supply agreements with local growers. Initial arrangements were made for test deliveries to MCPI, TBK, and Biosolutions with a minimum volume of five metric tons each, amounting to a total value of around PhP1.2 million. The delegates from the network also visited MPCI Corp.’s carrageenan processing plant in Consolacion, Cebu to have a better understanding of the effects of input raw dried seaweed’s quality on the price of farmer’s harvests. Preliminary commitments were also secured for the participation of various companies to the planned 2nd Palawan Seaweed Summit in 2019, which is being organized by the Seaweed Network. The summit will focus on technological innovations in seaweed production. Leading the delegation was Mr. Angelino Rebintiñola, Vice President of the Pandan Marine Products Marketing Cooperative, Puerto Princesa’s largest seaweed farmers’ cooperative, and Seaweed Network Private Sector Co-chair, and Ms. Melissa Macasaet, City Agriculturist of Puerto Princesa and Government Sector Co-chair. USAID’s Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity (SURGE) Project facilitated the linkage of the Seaweed Network to the SIAP as part of the network’s organizational development.