CEBU CITY – The Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) program of the government has offered other sources of profit for seaweed growers in Getafe town, Bohol.

The Marianasan Seaweed Growers and Fisherfolk Association or MASEGAFA, which has 32 members from Barangay Jandayan Sur, recorded a gross income of PHP138,600 out of its milkfish or “bangus” fish cage project, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Central Visayas (BFAR-7) said on Friday.

Based on the latest report from the Bohol Provincial Fishery Office (PFO), the MASEGAFA recently harvested at least 1,155 kilograms of bangus that were sold at PHP120 per kilogram.

The milkfish were cultured for about three months inside the floating cage, which is a project funded under the SAAD program in 2020, established off the Jandayan Sur shores.

The MASEGAFA previously logged PHP149,930 in sales from its first bangus fish cage earmarked under the SAAD 2019 budget.

Currently, the association has two existing fish cages that cover 98 square meters, measuring three meters in depth.

MASEGAFA is set to receive its third unit of fish cage this year that will be complemented with fingerlings and fish feeds just like the previous years.

The members, who are traditionally seaweed growers, won’t have to rely on a single source of income with the livelihood intervention from the SAAD program.

Apart from its traditional livelihood on seaweed farming, the program has augmented the group’s financial assets. (PNA)