Dagupan Bangus(Milkfish) From Taiwan?
Dagupan is noted for its Bonuan bangus, but Ermin Garcia Jr., editor of Sunday Punch, says its residents may wake up one day buying and eating authentic Dagupan bangus raised in Taiwan. Find out why and how in this portion of his recent column:
“Soon, Dagupan in Taiwan. 1 four Dagupan bangus raisers… think they are being unfairly cheated by local traders who pass off their bangus from other sources as Dagupan bangus, they’ve not seen the worst yet.
And while many Dagupan bangus growers continue to be indifferent to the pollution of our rivers that results in massive fish kill, they have another thing coming that would soon promise the demise of the Dagupan bangus industry.
Don’t look now but the Dagupan bangus that everyone craves for will soon become authentic Dagupan bangus raised and grown in Taiwan!
Yes, the secret of Dagupan bangus has been discovered and now quietly being replicated in fish farms in Taiwan. They have determined the exact quality and temperature of water, the kind and moisture of soil and type of feed; and the type of fingerlings needed to produce an authentic Dagupan bangus.
Their scientists, researchers and fish growers legally came and went, patiently testing and validating their theories and findings in Dagupan over the years.
Now they are ready to give our Dagupan bangus growers a run for their money.
In time, with the Taiwanese’s cutting edge technology in production and refrigeration coupled with their existing wide marketing network, Dagupan bangus will no longer be ours exclusively. It will be like Toyota, msade in USA and Filipinos will lap it up.
Unless the Dagupan City government moves decisively today in tandem with the city’s bangus growers, the industry will be lost for good to the Taiwan growers. Moving decisively means to ensure steady and increased supply for both domestic and export market(s).
What would that take? First, they must preserve and protect the water quality of the city’s rivers through strict regulation. For their part, growers must learn the discipline not to challenge the limits of the environment while they explore and develop more areas for raising bangus.
Secondly, new policies must be adopted to control and regulate the conversion of fishponds in the city to commercial lots.
Thirdly, our growers must organize to study and adopt new technology available in other countries.
Finally, the city government must fast track the establishment of the processing plant in Bonuan.
Failing to do any of the above, Dagupenos can start preparing their minds to buying and eating Dagupan bangus with aqua-colored tags-meaning grown in Taiwan!”
Of course, the whole Ilocos Region will also be in the same boat as the Dagupenos if ever the Dagupan bangus industry will be allowed to die. Let it be put on record that we also printed this warning.