Capiz fisherfolk reap benefits from Pilmico fish farm training
Earlier this year, beneficiaries of Aboitiz food business unit Pilmico’s Bangon Capiznon initiative reaped the benefits of technical assistance provided by Pilmico, following the onslaught of Typhoon Ursula in Capiz.
This same aid consistently helps them weather the challenges brought by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), allowing them to earn more and post better fish growth amid the health crisis.
Last February 2020, the Pilmico Aqua Feeds team turned over 1.3 million bangus fry to help Capiz fishermen rebuild their typhoon-depleted fish stocks. Roxas City was one of the areas severely affected by the December 2019 Typhoon Ursula.
In addition to this, Capiz fishermen and fish cage owners were provided with technical knowledge about fish feeds ratios, proper use and scheduling of feeds variants, and fish cage specifications to promote a better fish-growing environment.
Additional earnings, faster & better growth
Because of this technical assistance, Capiz’s fishermen were able to secure additional earnings at PhP10 to PhP15 per kilo from February to October 2020 (amid the current health crisis) due to increased fish growth and performance, and avoided additional losses from inefficient feeding practices. Compared to other brands, Pilmico’s aqua feeds facilitated faster and better growth, with an average of 15 to 20 days earlier harvesting time. The Bangon Capiznon beneficiaries were able to harvest 15 tons of fish or approximately 13,607 kilograms.
“I’d say it was the right timing to receive assistance from their team. The business partnership with Pilmico helped small-time fishermen and fish cage owners (Nasa tamang timing talaga kasi yung business partnership na yan kay Pilmico, natulungan yung mga small-time na fisherman dito at ang mga fish cage owners din),” said Moreno Gonzaga, a fisherman and beneficiary of Bangon Capiznon.
Aside from the training, Pilmico is also providing consistent support through flexible feed payment terms, speeding up business recovery, and by helping close technical knowledge gaps in proper fish cage management and aqua feeds ratios.
According to Gonzaga, Pilmico’s Aqua Feeds team provided them with needed technical support, with almost-daily visits to help in proper fish growth monitoring.
Operations run normal despite COVID-19
With operations remaining normal amid the pandemic, Pilmico is able to consistently deliver its customers’ needs.
Back in May, Pilmico and Gold Coin Food Group President and Chief Executive Officer Hubert de Roquefeuil said that Pilmico continues to deliver stakeholders’ needs amid rising concerns about the pandemic’s economic limitations.
“We are currently focused on ensuring that our current production facilities across the [South East Asian] region are optimized and that utilization is maintained at a high level so that we can adequately cater to the needs of our customers,” Roquefeuil said.
Reliability of supplies and services
Gonzaga also shared that one major difference is Pilmico’s reliability, which helped them with feed efficiency.
“Before we started using Pilmico feeds, other brands always ran out of stock. When that happens, we had to switch to a different feed brand mid-season. When we change fish feeds, what happens is their growth is affected. This is because they are not used to the new brand introduced (Dati [nung hindi pa Pilmico], palaging nauubusan ng supply yung ibang feeds brand. Kaya ang nangyayari, kalagitnaan ng season ng isda, nagpapalit kami ng brand ng feeds. Kapag ganun na nag-iiba ng pakain, hindi sanay ang isda, ang nangyayari ay naapektuhan ang paglaki nila),” Gonzaga said.
He regards Pilmico as a reliable brand because of its uninterrupted supply of feeds and services.
Richard Rafio, Pilmico Feeds Category Manager for Aqua, confirmed that amid the pandemic restrictions, their team has been consistent in delivering services to Bangon Capiznon beneficiaries.
“In the last few months since we launched this initiative, our team has been working with the Roxas City government and we also got endorsements from the BFAR [Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources],” shared Rafio.
“We acknowledge the hard work that our team members on site have been putting in, and this was complemented by essential support from the government,” he said.
