CEBU CITY – The Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines (SIAP) fears that the El Niño phenomenon, which casts a long dry spell throughout the country, would adversely affect the production of local seaweed.

“If the El Niño continues, then we expect insufficient supply of seaweeds because too much heat, like the global warming will affect the growth of seaweeds,” said SIAP President Benson Dakay in an interview.

Dakay, who is also president and chief executive of Shemberg Manufacturing Corp. (Shemberg), the world’s biggest supplier of carrageenan (processed seaweeds), said that the El Niño phenomenon that the country is facing today is similar to that which hit the Indonesian seaweed farming in September to November 2009.

During that time, he said, Indonesia targeted to produce 110,000 tons of raw seaweed but supply was down to only 90,000 tons.
Dacay projected the Philippines’ supply of raw seaweed this year will further drop to 50,000 tons.