SPC supports seaweed farming in the Pacific region SPC, through the European Union-funded Increasing Agricultural Commodity Trade (IACT) Project, has been working with seaweed farming communities in the Pacific to identify new export markets for their products.

 This was one of the key reasons that IACT, in collaboration with the Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems Division of SPC, assisted seaweed producers and government officers from the fisheries and aquaculture sectors in Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands to take part in the 21st International Seaweed Symposium in Bali, Indonesia. 

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community is working through the European Union-funded Increasing Agricultural Commodity Trade (IACT) Project to support aquaculture farmer networks in the region. The latest one is the Sirinumu cluster in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

This cluster currently has five active farmers who specialise in the cage culture method of farming tilapia in the Sirinumu Dam.Between 18 and 24 May, the IACT aquaculture team was with the Sirinumu tilapia farmers to assess their production and marketing systems.

‘We are working with Sirinumu tilapia farmers to identify what their strengths and weaknesses are and where they need assistance. This approach helps us to work directly with farmers, who are a key part of the supply chain,’ said Avinash Singh, IACT Aquaculture Officer. 

The Sirinumu cluster’s lead farmer, Jonah Bobogi, acts as the nucleus of the group, supplying tilapia fingerlings, cage materials and poultry feed to smaller farmers, like Wahia Tom and Chalie Kore, who find that being part of the cluster is very beneficial.

Both farmers said that they do not have to be concerned about the cost of getting the feed to the farm or finding good markets for their harvested tilapia, as these tasks are taken care of by the cluster lead farmer.