BUTUAN CITY - The Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Program (DA-PRDP) Caraga recently approved a PHP242 million project to enhance the tuna industry in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur. In a statement Monday, DA-13 said the Tuna Consolidation and Marketing with Cold Chain Facilities project will be funded through the PRDP Scale-Up and implemented under its I-REAP (Investments in Rural Enterprises and Agriculture and Fisheries Productivity) program. The Mangagoy Farmers Fisherfolk and Community Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MAFFISCO-MPC) will oversee the project, which was greenlit by the DA-PRDP Regional Project Advisory Board (RPAB) on Oct. 4. 'This is a significant subproject not only for Surigao del Sur but also for the broader region, as it employs an interprovincial approach under the Scale-Up program,' Lynn Parenas, head of the PRDP's I-REAP component in the region, said. Parenas said the new facilities will offer small-scale fisherfolk opportunities to preserve the quality of their t una catch and diversify their product offerings, addressing critical gaps in input supply and fish processing in the region. 'We view this project as a catalyst for developing the tuna industry in Bislig and the rest of Surigao del Sur, with the potential to expand operations throughout the region,' MAFFISCO-MPC general manager Rho Cougee Garrido said. The RPAB, chaired by DA-13 Director Arlan Mangelen, is responsible for reviewing and approving all regional PRDP subprojects. Source: Philippines News Agency