Dust Used to Sterilize Fishponds

Using of chemicals like cyanide in preparing and sterilizing of fishponds is a country wide problem to both environment and millions of fish consumers. The promotion of an alternative means which is both effective and environment-friendly may change the entire playing field for fishpond owners, operators and consumers.

Dust Used to Sterilize Fishponds

Tobacco dust, which is manufactured and promoted by National Tobacco Administration (NTA), as the other alternative to the chemical based product, boosts the growth of lablab, an algae and natural fish food and serves as fish pond floor conditioner. Fish pond owners and operators who used it to prepare their ponds before stocking fingerlings find it very  effective and efficient in reinforcing their ponds against snails and other fish pond predators.

Mighty Corporation, a Filipino owned and controlled cigarette and tobacco manufacturer based in the province of Bulacan, has vowed to help NTA in promoting this alternative and help marginalized fish pond owners and operators as well as tobacco farmers nationwide, through tobacco dust donations.

"By doing so, we are helping both tobacco farmers and fish pond owners and operators increase their yield,” The Mighty Corp. Executive Vice President, Oscar P. Barrientos, said.

The NTA produces the Tobacco Dust Plus (TDP) at a plant in Sto. Tomas, La Union, via leave redrying and pulverizing. By doing so, specks of dust from the leaves fall off, creating tobacco dust.

Barrientos praised the NTA for providing “an effective and economic option to replace highly toxic and cyanide-based chemicals used in preparation or sterilization of fishponds.”

The NTA study, together with loilo School of Fisheries, Philippine Council for Aquaculture and Marine Resources Research and Development and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, particularly in the Central and Northern Luzon region showed positive results from the use of tobacco dust.

Barrientos also discussed that Mighty Corporation "aims to increase the income of the tobacco-growing industry by buying 10 million tobacco leaves from local farmers all over the country. The green price for that volume of purchase amounts to P700,000."

“We will be happy to offer better prices to tobacco farmers and are willing to tie-up with the Department of Agriculture and NTA to cement our partnership with the farmers," the former trial judge said.

The WongChuKing Family owned corporation bought 5 million kilos of tobacco leaves from local farmers. This year, Mighty Corporation eyes to increase its purchase by 100% by buying 10 million kilos of tobacco leaves from farmers Nationwide more overly in the Northern Luzon Region, where the majority of Tobacco growers are located.

The increase in Tobacco leaves production is targeted to help millions of farmers and their families who rely on the tobacco industry.

Barrientos said Mighty Corporation has a long-term plan to further improve its market share and help hundreds of thousands of tobacco farm workers.