Tubod, Lanao del Norte - As the demand for food continues to rise with the increase in population, worldwide seaweed production cannot keep up with the demand of the carrageenan (seaweed extract) industry.

Carrageenan comes from algae or seaweed, and is often used as a thickening agent in place of animal-based products like gelatin. Carrageenan is a common ingredient in many foods, such as milk products like yogurt or chocolate milk.

During the Seaweed Industry Cluster Forum held at Macapagal Training Center at the capital town of Tubod on September 22, 2011, more than 40 participants attended the activity organized by DTI-Lanao del Norte.

“The province has been producing good quality seaweeds for more than 10 years now. This industry can provide additional job opportunities for the people of Lanao del Norte”, encouraged SIAP Secretary General Antonio Yuri Yap.

Since its creation in 1985, the Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines (SIAP) has played a major role in the continual development and improvement of the seaweed industry in the Philippines.

As of today, SIAP members have grown from a few Carrageenan Processors to more than 100,000 which include raw seaweed exporters, seaweed traders and seaweed farmers.

According to Yap, this year the 16 seaweed processing plants have to import around 80,000 metric tons (MT) of raw seaweed or its carrageenan equivalent mostly from Indonesia as local farms could no longer supply their requirements.

“The opportunity of selling seaweed is very viable. There are a lot of buyers, a lot of traders and a lot of processors. There’s no problem as far as market is concern”, Yap assured.

Among the participants in the forum are town mayors, cooperative officers, municipal livelihood officials, NGOs, provincial heads, and local seaweed growers.

Earlier this March, 131 seaweed farmers from barangays Pigcarangan and Tanguegueron, in Tubod, this province received 60 kilos of seaweeds as planting materials from Rep. Imelda Quibranza-Dimaporo after heavy flooding affected their farms.VNL/PIO-LDN