FROM BOATS TO FREEZERS: DA-BFAR EXPANDS AHON! REHABILITATION INITIATIVE

Following success in rallying thousands of boats for the fisherfolk affected by typhoon Yolanda, the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) adds post-harvest equipment to priority items under the AHON! Rehabilitation Initiative.

BFAR national director Asis Perez said that while AHON! has already breached its initial target of ten thousand boats, more still have to be done in order to completely revive the livelihoods of the fisherfolk in the Visayas and Northern Palawan.

"We are happy to know that many of our fisherfolk-beneficiaries have already resumed their fishing activities through AHON! Our task, however, is not yet over as our efforts will now cover post harvest equipment, particularly freezers to help fisherfolk preserve their catch," Perez said.

At the start of the year, BFAR has laid out plans to establish cold storage facilities and ice plants in strategic areas in the country but this would take time and the needs of the fisherfolk in the affected areas are immediate, Perez said.

Depending on the size, a chest freezer could produce 100 to 200 ice packs per day. If one fisher uses five to ten ice packs a day, one chest freezer would be able to support the ice requirement of about 20 to 40 fisherfolk in a community. Moreover, BFAR will also conduct post harvest technique trainings for women fisherfolk to help them increase the market value of their produce.

As for the pledges and contributions, Perez reiterated that the agency will not accept cash contributions. These will have to go through non-profit organizations which BFAR has identified as its partners. In-kind donations may be coordinated with the AHON! Initiative Coordinating Office at the BFAR Central Office.

Four months since AHON! started, the said initiative has already rallied a total of 15, 069 units worth of boat materials brought down in the affected areas. Perez expressed optimism that soon the fisherfolk would not have only re-established their livelihoods but would have earned higher as well.