TACLOBAN CITY, PHILIPPINES — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Regional Office No. 8 (BFAR 8) has introduced solar salt production technology to coastal communities in Daram, Samar, under the Development of the Salt Industry Project (DSIP), opening low-capital alternative income streams for local fisherfolk and squid processors.
Local Salt Yield and Technical Support Package
Two local groups—the Daram Association of Fish and Squid Processors (16 members) and the Brgy. Ubo Dried Fish Vendors Association (25 members)—received ₱100,000 worth of Solar Salt Production in Low Linear Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) with Frame modules alongside production inputs:
Equipment Provided: Received inputs included power generators, submersible pumps, HDPE drums, and specialized LLDPE liner setups designed for small-scale solar salt evaporation.
Initial Yield Utilization: The groups recorded an initial production of 180 kilograms of salt, which was immediately integrated into their existing fish-drying and squid-processing operations to lower overhead costs.
Capability Building: BFAR 8 conducted technical training sessions to ensure effective technology transfer, equipment maintenance, and long-term operational management.
Women Empowerment: Gilda Dosal Añez, President of the Daram Association of Fish and Squid Processors, highlighted salt production as a highly manageable, low-capital enterprise particularly suited for local women processors.
Expansion Plans and Regional Project Footprint
BFAR 8 is scaling up salt industry interventions across Eastern Visayas to strengthen local supply chains:
Capacity Expansion in Daram: BFAR 8 will deploy additional Collapsible Salt Production Setups worth ₱300,000 to local associations in Daram to transition operations toward food-grade, iodized salt mass production.
Regional Target Areas: Across Eastern Visayas, the DSIP initiative targets 230 individuals from 13 fisherfolk associations and one cooperative across Daram Island (Samar), San Roque (Northern Samar), Maasin and Hinunangan (Southern Leyte), Baybay City (Leyte), Guiuan and Arteche (Eastern Samar), and Naval and Maripipi (Biliran).
