By Amy R. Remo
MANILA (Daily Inquirer).- A Spanish firm has expressed interest in buying as much as 120 metric tons of seaweed monthly from the Philippines.

Jerry Pacturan, executive director of the Philippine Development Assistance Program (PDAP), said in a statement that he met with officials of Hispanagar S.A. in Spain and quoted them as saying they were interested in buying seaweed from Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi.

Pacturan’s statement said Hispanagar officials considered seaweed from Tawi-Tawi to be of high quality and best suited for the making of carageenan, which is used for a myriad of products like ice cream, yogurt, candies, soups, seasoning, and salad dressing.

Hispanagar is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of an industrial material called hydrocolloid, a substance that turns into gel with water and is used in many consumer products. Carageenan is a hydrocolloid.

PDAP is currently helping seaweed farmers in Sitangkai, dubbed the Seaweed Capital of the Philippines.

The Philippines produces about P6.6 billion worth of seaweed every year, most of them coming from Sitangkai.

Worldwide demand for seaweed is increasing and resulted in the Sitangkai Exports Co. exporting 120 MT, from 80 MT, of seaweed to France monthly.

Pacturan said the increased demand also led to increases in prices of seaweed and seaweed products.

Supply is tight as a result of high demand from China and other countries, according to Pacturan.

Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net