Sixty-six-year-old Kalinga beneficiary Maximo W. Wallis thanks the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) – Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program for the additional livelihood he received, the tilapia culture production.

Mr. Wallis is a rice farmer from Dupligan in the municipality of Tanudan. He has a total land area of 500 square meters. He usually harvests six cavans of palay, which can only produce 29 kilograms (kgs) per cavan of milled rice.

In September 2019, Mr. Wallis received one unit of aquaculture package from the SAAD Program which consisted of 1,000 tilapia fingerlings and 10 bags of feeds for the rice-fish system. According to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the rice-fish system allows the production of fish and other aquatic animals from the same rice field, without causing a reduction in rice yield. Fish yields vary from 1.5 to 174 kg/ha/season depending on the type of rice-fish system, the species present, and the management employed.

Prior to receiving the aquaculture package, Mr. Wallis planted C18 rice variety in August 2019 which matures in 120 days (4 months), and after a month of transplanting, tilapia fingerlings were stocked last September 14, 2019. Feeds (from fry mash, pre-starter, starter, grower to finisher) were fed twice a day depending on the age of tilapia. 

In November 2019, rice was harvested totaling to 6 cavans or 35 kgs per cavan milled rice, which is six (6) kgs more than his previous harvest. The fishes were left in the paddy fields until they have reached the marketable sizes. It took Mr. Wallis two months to gather the tilapia. 

On February 6, 2020, Mr. Wallis harvested 120 kgs of tilapia with a market price of Php 130 – 150 per kg (a kilo of fish is equivalent to 3 to 5 pieces) and was able to earn Php 16,000 in one harvest. 

Through this livelihood, now as a farmer and fisherfolk, he was able to sustain the needs of his family. 

He said that he will continue adapting the rice-fish culture as this helps him and his family a lot.  ###

Writer: Jennifer A. Valcobero, SAAD Public Relations and Communications Officer

Source: Michelle Peralta, SAAD-BFAR CAR Focal Person