Bohol Fish Market and TienDA continues says Secretary Piñol

“This is just a beginning.” A noteworthy pronouncement of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Emmanuel T. Piñol during the launching of the Bohol Fish Market and TienDA last Thursday at the Bohol Agricultural Promotion Center (BAPC), Dao District, Tagbilaran City.

Sec. Piñol said that this will be a continuing project and not just a “Ningas Cogon” implementation.

He said the government would institutionalize this project and will be implemented in the whole country and the province of Bohol would be a pilot area.

Piñol stressed that after the two days affairs last Thursday and Friday, the TienDA will be conducted every Saturday and Sunday and eventually everyday in the coming months.

In a press conference at the BAPC Conference Room, Piñol disclosed that in the next annual budget of the DA  an amount of P450M has been allocated to build two “food boats” to ferry fruits, vegetables and fish in Mindanao especially in Tawi-Tawi and will bring here in Bohol.

He said that Tawi-Tawi has more fish and the problem of the fisherfolks is where to sell their fish catch because the wet markets there couldn’t absorb it.

Piñol explained that the Fish Market TienDA has been conducted to cut down the chain between the traders and middlemen that caused the prices of fish are high.

He was not discounted the possibility of fish cartel in the province as he stated that it can happen to any commodities of which the traders agreed to control the prices.

Piñol also mentioned the 11,000 hectares of vegetablesareaa in Talacag, Bikidnon wherein the products  of the vegetable growers and technology could be brought  and applied here.

The DA Sec. said he was overwhelmed with joy for the successful launching of the Bohol Fish Market and TienDA of which he jokingly said that in a scale of 1-10 he rated the launching to 11.

In fact, he said he was ashamed because more people were flooded in the Fish Market and TienDA instead of fish as what he promised of the Boholanos.

However, he said he will bring another supply of more fish, vegetables and fruits here in Bohol.

Piñol clarified that what they have been doing is just following the order of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte because the president “walks the talks”.

Gov. Edgar M. Chatto thanked the DA through Sec. Piñol for bringing some agricultural projects from Mindanao and other parts of Visayas at the TienDA in the province.

Chatto said this project in laudable in sync with the endeavors of the Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) geared towards agriculture that would redound to the benefits of the people.

The governor has a high hope that the activity would continue through the market matching activity that was conducted on the first day where sellers and buyers of fish sat down and discussed how to sustain the supply of fish here.

Cabinet secretary Leoncio B. Evasco, Jr. also underscored the importance of the tienDA so as the public could by fish at the cheaper prices.

He recalled that before those families who had lower income could buy fish because the prices were low and they couldn’t afford to buy meat.

Nowadays, the situation was turned around because those who are low income have preferred to buy meat considering the prices are cheaper than the fish.

Regional Executive Director, DA-RFO7 Salvador D. Diputado said the launching of the Bohol Fish Market TienDA proved that Sec. Piñol had made true of what was he promised  during the Sandugo Agri-Fair 2018 to flood Bohol with fish.

Diputado said that this was not only two-day affair of the DA to solve the high prices of fish and the scarcity of supply in the province.

He said the DA is also looking at to increase rice yield in the province of more than the usual 3-4 metric tons per hectare.

Rice & Fish are basic commodities to be addressed by the DA to ensure that foods are available on the table, he said.

At the TienDA, there were different kinds of fish being sold such as Bangus, Tilapia, Galonggong (Burot-Burot), Pompano, Kitong, among others.

Alma Saavedra, BFAR-7 Information Officer admitted that they had lack supply of fish at the TienDA because some of their fish suppliers from Mindanao were not able to ship here because of big waves. (Atoy Cosap)