MANILA -- Some producers of milkfish or bangus in Dagupan City are reducing production amid the rising cost of feeds, the city's mayor said Tuesday.

"I think the problem now is not about, they’re not cutting down their production of bangus not because of the drought or I would say the El Niño, but the problem is that the cost of the feeds for the bangus keeps on going up, and I think sometimes it is becoming unprofitable for them," said Mayor Belen Fernandez.

She said Dagupan has 910 hectares of fish ponds, but 179 hectares are no longer operational because they have been converted into commercial areas.

Dagupan City is known as the "Milkfish Capital of the Philippines."

Fernandez said they are still producing bangus regularly despite the El Niño phenomenon.

She noted, however, that fish pond owners have to be alert in case the weather starts hurting bangus production.

"I think our fishpond owners have to make sure if the drought will continue or the El Niño, everybody [will] have to pump out water or fresh water to make sure that the water at the fish pond will be protected," she said.

"So they should engage in making their own deep well and the city government should help them by providing the water pumps. And that’s very critical," she said.

--ANC, 6 February 2024