SENATOR KIKO PANGILINAN URGES LGUs AND BFAR: TURN FISHKILL INTO FEEDS OR FERTILIZER

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan today calls on the local government units and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to provide assistance to turn the fishkill into an opportunity to produce feeds and fertilizers when applicable.

"We may still turn this fishkill around if the fish are still not rotten. These can be harvested and dried and be turned into feeds," he says. "If the fish begin to rot, it can still be turned into fertilizer with the right methodology known to the Department of Agriculture." Current reports say that the fishkill in Batangas has already reached P57 million pesos worth of damage. Fishkill has also started to strike provinces in Pangasinan.

Pangilinan, who is the Senate Chairman on the Committee on Agriculture and Food, adds that coordinated efforts between the LGUs and the Department of Agriculture can "turn this fishkill as a means to save cost for farmers on animal feeds." He urges the DA to look into the technology needed to turn the fishkill into fertilizers and animal feeds as soon as possible.

"Seventy percent of the cost of raising livestock comes from the cost of feeds. We can also help increase productivity of farmers as long as we do it right. Moreover, the rotting fish can still be buried and used as fertilizer. The soil can be enriched by these organic materials, but there is a proper way of doing it. The DA and the local governments should come together and find out if these mitigating measures can still be implemented. "

"We should look at how we can turn a negative into a positive for agricultural productivity given the circumstances."