The Philippines is one of the few countries which pioneered seaweed farming. Today, the country is one of the world’s top producers. As a matter of fact, it ranks third in the world’s seaweed production, behind China and Indonesia.
Earlier this year, the Department of Agriculture said it is proposing to increase investment in the seaweed industry to enhance its export capability. Already, it has allotted P1 billion for ventures in large tissue culture laboratories, dryers, warehouses, and technician training.
“We still have an unutilized area of 85,000 hectares,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. in a statement. “Until we reach that, we shouldn’t stop. If possible, we should accelerate the industry’s expansion.”
Most of the seaweeds are grown in Mindanao: the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and Zamboanga Peninsula. Seaweeds are also farmed in MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan).
The processing facilities, however, are located in Cebu and Manila. As of 2020, the country has about 16 carrageenan processing facilities.
The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that in 2023, the Philippines produced 1.63 million metric tons of seaweed, up 5.3%. Sixty-five percent of seaweed produced are processed into refined chips, 13% are exported raw or dried, and 22% are processed into refined carrageenan, a gelatin-like additive used as a thickening agent and stabilizer for many food and cosmetic products.
Export potentials
A paper published in Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, the Philippines was ranked as the second largest exporter of dried seaweeds and the largest exporter of semirefined and refined carrageenan.
“Seaweeds are one of our top fisheries exports,” said Dr. William D. Dar during his stint as the secretary of the Department of Agriculture.
Among the exporting countries of Philippine seaweeds are the United States, China, Spain, Russia, and Belgium, where they are valued for carrageenan.
The Philippines is one of the pioneers in seaweed farming. Cultures of Porphyra, Eucheuma, and Caulerpa in the Philippine marine farms have been recorded as early as the 1960s. Through the initiative of Dr. Max Doty, a marine botanist at the University of Hawaii, and his local counterparts, the first technology for the culture of Eucheuma was introduced to industry in 1973.
Today, seaweed farming has grown as one of the most important aquaculture enterprises. Approximately 1.2 million Filipinos are involved in and benefit from seaweed farming, which provides jobs and improves the socioeconomic status of coastal communities across the country, said the National Seaweed Industry Roadmap.
“The area for expansion of the Philippine seaweed industry is vast and awaiting its full realization,” said the Philippine Seaweed Industry Roadmap 2022-2026. “The potential area for seaweed farming is huge.”
The Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines (SIAP) has estimated an aggregate of 700,000 hectares of the farmable area but so far only 8% of these are being used. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), however, reported that current utilization ranges from 16% to 88%.
Seaweed species
A seaweed is not a seagrass nor it is a weed; it is actually marine algae. The Philippines is blessed with 1,065 seaweed species. Unfortunately, only 893 species have been identified so far.
“(The Philippines has) 197 species in 20 families for green algae, 153 species in 10 families for brown algae, and 543 species in 52 families for red algae,” said Dr. Marco Nemesio Montaño, of the Marine Science Institute of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, during a seminar on Enhancing Marine and Agricultural Products through Biotechnology some years back.
Only five seaweed species are commercially farmed and commercially available in raw (fresh or dried seaweed) and processed forms (carrageenan). They are the top aquaculture commodity as they comprise 60%-70% of the country’s total aquaculture production.
But the two most commercially important seaweeds are Eucheuma and Kappahycus. “The country pioneered the cultivation of carrageenan-bearing seaweeds Eucheuma that led to its dominance in commercial seaweed production and recognition as the top seaweed producer in the international market,” said the seaweeds roadmap.
Beset with problems
In spite of the thriving seaweed industry, problems still beset seaweed farming. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) identified the following: declining farm productivity, poor quality of seedlings, lack of post-harvest facilities, price fluctuations, and proliferation of diseases.
The Laguna-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) agrees with BFAR. “Productivity of farmed seaweeds has been declining due to predator grazing, the so-called ice-ice phenomenon, ‘aging effect’ and negative growth rates as well as crop losses due to typhoons,” said the line agency of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). “Lack of quality seedlings or planting materials also hampers the expansion of farm sites.”
Another reason for lower seaweed production in the country is due to climate change. change. SIAP said the ideal temperature for seaweed is below 26 degrees Celsius but in recent years the temperature at the seaweed farms has gone above 26 degrees Celsius. As such, seaweed production has declined by as much as 50% in some areas in the country.
In terms of export, one issue that beset the country’s seaweed products, particularly the extracted carrageenan is not organic. In an article by Gemma C. Delmo for Marid Agribusiness Magazine, Demosthenes Togonon, of the BFAR Seaweed Program refutes the allegation.
“Our seaweeds are farmed the organic way,” Togonon was quoted as saying. “We do not introduce any inputs or use fertilizers. Our carrageenan is a hydrocolloid that is used for food and non-food products.”
But despite all these problems, Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III still recommends seaweed farming in the country. “It requires low inputs with high returns on investment,” said the academician with the National Academy of Science and Technology. “It is labor intensive and offers good opportunities for the employment of the otherwise labor force in the coastal areas.”
Food notes
In Asia, seaweeds have been utilized for centuries in salads, soups, and as low calorie dietetic foods. They are consumed by people living in coastal areas, particularly in East Asia (Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam), and those living in Indonesia, Belize, Peru, Chile, Scandinavia, Ireland, Wales, the Philippines, and Scotland.
At least 60 varieties of seaweeds found in the Philippines are found to be edible. These include the following: gulamang dagat, gamet, pocpoclo, culot, lato, guso, barls-barls, bulaklak bato, and balbalolang. Some of these varieties are processed into jams, jellies, candies, pickles, baby’s food, and gulaman bars.
Health-wise
Nutrition-wise, what’s in seaweeds? Food experts classified seaweed as one of the richest plant sources of calcium. Its calcium content is typically about 4%-7% of dry matter. At seven percent calcium, one gram of dried seaweed provides 70 milligrams of calcium, compared to a daily dietary requirement of about 1,000 milligrams. Still, this is higher than a serving of most non-milk-based foods.
Protein content in seaweed varies somewhat, according to respected nutrition experts. It is low in brown algae at 5%-11% of dry matter, but comparable in quantitative terms to legumes at 30%-40% of dry matter in some species of red algae. Green algae also have significant protein content, that is, up to 20% of dry matter. Spirulina, a micro-alga, is well known for its very high content: 70% of dry matter.
Seaweed contains several vitamins. Red and brown algae are rich in carotenes and are used, in fact, as a source of natural mixed carotenes for dietary supplements. The content ranges from 20-170 parts per million. The vitamin C in red and brown algae is also notable, with contents ranging from 500-3000 parts per million. Other vitamins are also present, including B12, which is not found in most land plants.
