ISLAND GARDEN CITY OF SAMAL (Igacos) – The Davao Seaweed Industry Cluster Team is highly considering the expansion of seaweed production areas on this island pending the success of the 10-module production pilot area located in the coastal village of Tambo.

Seaweed cluster team chairman Domingo Ang said the success of the 10-module production pilot area will determine the expansion plans of the seaweed cluster team in the Davao Region.

“Things are going very well with our seaweed-growing pilot project on Samal Island and Davao del Sur, and morale is high among our seaweed farmers participating in the project,” Ang said.

About 1,000 hectares of coastal waters around the island of Samal alone is ready and can be tapped for expansion of seaweed production areas of the project, records here showed.

Seaweed cluster technician Reynante Mariano said around 30 villages on the island would be covered by the seaweed-growing project expansion.

It was gathered that the Samal Island seaweed growing pilot project is fully supported by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), local government units (LGUs), and management experts from SPAMAST (Southern Philippines Agri-Business and Marine Aquatic School of Technology).

Ang, head of the Davao-based New Dolphin Corporation, has agreed to purchase dried seaweeds from the Tambo seaweed farmers under a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed recently between his company and the coastal farmers.

“We see a lot of bright prospects in this seaweed growing project here in Davao Region, that’s why we’re staking our future together with all these seaweed farmers here,” Ang said.

Ang, who also runs the Marina Tuna Corporation as its president, said the future expansion is possible once the project can expand from its present 10 modules to over 100 commercial production seaweed-growing modules backed up by permanent structures of solar drying facilities.