BFAR-7 to ferry fishery products from Pasil to Mandaue City

CEBU CITY, Philippines—Fishery products from the Pasil Landing Center will soon be available to buyers outside Cebu City, specifically in the northern part of Cebu.

To address the declining fish trade at the Pasil Landing Center, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Central Visayas (BFAR-7) plans to ferry fishery products to Mandaue City.

Fish vendors at the Pasil landing center will soon be able to sell their products outside Cebu City through the efforts of the BFAR-7, in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture (DA) regional office, according to a press release posted on the BFAR-7 Facebook page.

The DA and BFAR partnership intends to assist the affected local fish vendors sell their products in Mandaue City through the program dubbed “Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita.” 

This would enable fish vendors to expand their market access.

Starting this week, BFAR Region 7 will deploy its reefer van to ferry the fish products from Cebu City to Mandaue City.

To recall, fish vendors from Pasil, Cebu City had sought assistance from BFAR-7 because they were reportedly suffering from the slow fish trade at the landing center and wet markets.

Read: Pasil fish vendors complain of drop in sales with ECQ implementation

They disclosed that fish traders, dealers and customers had a hard time entering Cebu City to purchase fishery products due to the stringent measures implemented in the city due to the coronavirus disease  2019 (Covid-19) threat.

With this initiative, BFAR Region 7 seeks to assist fish vendors in improving their income, and help customers make the fish products available near them.

BFAR Region 7 aims to resolve the problem not only on food availability and accessibility but also on the affordability of the products.

Selected fish vendors, who are identified by the Cebu City Government – Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries, will be given the opportunity to display their products at DA regional office in Barangay Estancia in Mandaue City.

The involved stakeholders have agreed that they will sell their products at the suggested retail price.

The DA-initiated “Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita” food market opens every Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This undertaking is adopted from DA’s program, Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita, which is initiated by Agriculture Secretary William Dar.

Kadiwa (KAtuwang sa DIwa at GaWA) is designed as a market system that sells primary agricultural goods at low prices to help marginal households.

Through Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita, the DA aim to yield bountiful harvest and to produce prosperous farmers and fisherfolks in the country. /bmjo