Hispanagar S.A. of Burgos, Spain, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of hydrocolloids, is interested in buying raw seaweed from the Philippines, mainly from Sitangkai, Tawitawi.



This was learned from Jerry E. Pacturan, executive director of the Philippine Development Assistance Programme (PDAP) which is helping seaweed farmers in Sitangkai. In a recent meeting in Spain, Pacturan said Hispanagar officials told him that they are interested in sourcing seaweed from the Philippines because of its high quality.



Pacturan said he met with Hispanagar general manager Javier Fernandez and purchasing manager German Gonzalez who are looking at the possibility of buying 120 metric tons of seaweed from Tawi-tawi farmers every month.



“We also talked about the increasing prices of seaweeds, which is affecting processors worldwide. This is, however, an Asian phenomenon with Indonesia and Vietnam catching up with Philippine prices,” Pacturan said.



“They point out to China’s massive buying in the Philippines and other Asian countries as the reason behind the rise in the prices of seaweeds. But the level of interest to buy from us is still very high,” he added.



The Philippines is one of the world’s top producers of seaweed, with the municipality of Sitangkai accounting for half the country’s total production.



Seaweeds are produced in enormous quantity in approximately 10,000 hectares (out of the 60,000 hectares available) and an estimated average annual production volume of 120,000 metric tons valued at over $150 million or P6.6 billion.



Pacturan said companies like Hispanagar are turning to the Philippines as a major source because word is getting around that Philippine seaweed is best suited for the production of carageenan.