Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol has called the newly launched Bohol Fish Market in Tagbilaran City “an overwhelming success” and plans to replicate it in various parts of the country.
“The successful staging of the Bohol Fish Market will serve as a template for similar activities in other areas to bring down the prices of food,” Piñol said.
He added the Bohol Fish Market would later be developed into a tourism destination, as eateries will be opened in the area where fish bought in the market would be cooked and served.
The Bohol Fish Market is the Department of Agriculture’s first provincial-level TienDA project through its Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
It was the department’s first major step to address the fast-rising commodity prices, particularly in Bohol.
“It is the response of the DA to the complaints of local residents over very high prices of fish in the public market,” Piñol said.
TienDA is a marketing strategy launched by the DA in Metro Manila last year to help promote the availability of affordable food nationwide by providing venues where farmers and fishermen can directly sell to consumers.
The DA then staged TienDA in Barangay Payatas, an urban poor community in Quezon City, so residents could access lower-priced food.