ILOILO – The seafood processing team of the Institute of Fish Processing Technology, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (CFOS-IFPT), University of the Philippines Visayas introduced fish processing technologies to Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) in Tibiao, Antique.
The team composed of Rose Mueda, May Flor Muegue and Rosana Alama presented lectures and conducted hands-on demo on various fish processing technologies to members of Katilingban sang Mamumugon, Mangingisda kag Mangunguma sa Malabor Multi-Purpose Cooperative (KASAMMA-Malabor MPC).
The two-day training was held at the University of Antique Tario-Lim Memorial Campus, Tibiao from May 31 to June 1.
Mueda, Muegue, and Alama taught 10 farmers and fishers the proper way of handling fish to keep its freshness, quality, and avoid contamination.
The trainees also learned the different methods of fish preservation such as smoking, drying, fermentation, and marinating. Packaging was also among the topics discussed.
The participants had practical hands-on experience in preparing brine solution, a mixture of water and salt, and marinating solution for fish hamonado and lamayo variants.
They also showcased the knowledge that they have learned from the lectures in the preparation of smoked fish (hamonado and plain variants), dried fish (lamayo variant) and fermented fish (bagoong and patis).
Fish is a highly perishable food. Fish processing methods such as salting, drying, fermenting, marinating, and smoking increase the shelf life of the food and help reduce food loss and waste.
The team observed the eagerness of the participants to acquire the skills on various fish processing techniques to enable them to utilize the fish catch especially during peak season. It was learned that huge volume of fish catch were discarded back to the sea or being buried due to lack of know-how on proper fish preservations.
They said that the participants appreciated the skills and knowledge that they have acquired from the two-day training and were hoping to use these in further translating the fish catch into value-added products with higher economic value.
Florentino Siladan, Antique provincial agrarian reform officer, wrote a letter to IFPT director Prof. SharonNuñal requesting for the conduct of said trainings to the members of the cooperative in Tibiao as an intervention to increase the value of their catch.
Siladan said, “Tibiao is considered as the Fish Capital of Antique due to the voluminous variety of fishes caught from their seas. However, with such great volume, the value of their catch decreases.”
Expressing his gratitude to CFOS-IFPT, Siladan was hopeful that the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)-Antique beneficiaries will take the opportunities in transforming the abundant catch into high value fish products and be part of their cooperative’s product portfolio.
The training was funded by the DAR- Antique under the Development of Products and Services of Agrarian reform Beneficiaries Development and Sustainability Program- Enterprise Development and Economic Support Section (ARBDSP-EDES), in cooperation with the Tibiao Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Office. (UPV/PN)
