Status, Problems, and Prospects of African Catfish Production in Pandi, Bulacan

Date

5-2018

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness Management

College

College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Gemma U. Reyes

Committee Member

Loida E. Mojica, Juan Paulino S. Trespalacio, Junior, Normito Zapata, Jr.

Abstract

The study was conducted to present the status, prospects, and problems of African Catfish production in Pandi, Bulacan. Specifically it aimed to present the socio demographic and business profile of the respondents; present the production and marketing practices being done by the producers; identify the problems that are being faced by African Catfish producers and the prospects in the industry; identify the key success factors; and prepare recommendations to current and potential Catfish producers.

The study used complete enumeration of all of the African Catfish producers in the town of Pandi in Bulacan. There were fifteen known producers in the town but two of them were not able to participate in the study due to their personal reasons. The respondents were given questionnaires and at the same time interviewed personally. The information gathered served as the primary data. Secondary data came from literatures and other online sources.

African Catfish production has been around the town for more than twenty years now. Pandi has always been identified to have the favorable qualities for a fishpond location. Raising Catfish has been always interesting to potential players since it can be done in one’s backyard. This is an opportunity to increase one’s income without the need of leaving your own house. Most of the current producers consider African Catfish production as their main source of income. The produce is being marketed to different parts of Luzon especially Central Luzon and North Luzon where the demand is high. Most of the producers transport their products directly to the distributors which then dispenses the fishes to retailers. Although this is the most common practice, some of the producers transport their products through traders. The peak months of African Catfish production is during the summer and Christmas season. The lean months are during June up to August. The price of Catfish usually fluctuates in small amounts, specifically five to ten pesos per kilo. Competition among the producers in the town of Pandi, Bulacan is low since the demand for Catfish is higher than the supply.

The identified problems of African Catfish production are increasing growth period, unstable feed supply, high mortality rate of fingerlings, occurrence of diseases, decreasing land for ponds, lack of government support, and losses due to theft. Among these problems, the high mortality rate among fingerlings and the occurrence of diseases is considered as the most serious. This has a great impact to the producers since these factors are detrimental to the amount of harvests that can be gathered at the end of the cropping season. The increasing growth period also affected the producers since there are more resources needed due to the longer cropping periods. Unstable feed supply is also a problem since it plays a big role in the growth of the fishes. If the right feeds would not be given to fishes, there will be a slower growth and they are more susceptible to diseases.

There are different prospects and opportunities in the African Catfish industry in Pandi, Bulacan. One of the main opportunities is the increasing demand in Central and North Luzon. It is an opportunity for both current and potential producers since the supply is inadequate. Another opportunity is that people tend to shift in a much healthier lifestyle which gives fishes an advantage over other protein sources like pork, chicken and beef. The exportation and processing of Catfish is also an opportunity since through this practices, producers can have more market options. Furthermore, processing the Catfish can contribute to the value addition and help the producers earn more.

Recommendations were also presented in order to address the problems and help current and potential producers in their ventures. These include the continuous supervision of the health of Catfishes in order to assess if the fishes are in a good condition and ensure efficient growth. Another is to establish a stable feed supply by having reliable sources to be able to guarantee a continuous flow of feeds which is very important in raising Catfish. It is recommended for both current and potential producers to learn the proper way of raising fingerlings as well as the proper treatments for diseases in order to avoid a high mortality rate among the fishes. Forward integration is also recommended especially for established farms since it can enable them to earn more income. It can come in a form of restaurant or processing plant. A formation of an organization/cooperative is also suggested since it can help the farmers to share their knowledge with each other. Moreover, an organization can offer loans to assist members who are in need. Acquisition of government support is recommended in order to aid producers especially in the acquisition of new stocks which can address the problem of inbreeding.

Language

English

LC Subject

Catfishes--Africa--Identification

Location

UPLB College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Call Number

LG 993 2018 M17 S26

Notes

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Document Type

Thesis

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