LEGAZPI CITY—The City Veterinary Office (CVO) here is set to roll on training next week for farmers or any interested participants for another rare livelihood project using crabs’ indoor growing technology.
CVO chief Dr. Emmanuel Estipona CVO in an interview on Thursday said that his office has already started sending invitations to interested participants to the training for crab indoor setting using the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) as one of the species of fly (langaw) that would serve as feeds for crabs.
“Instead of using fishmeal and other chemical feeds, we will use BSF larvae for feeding the crabs with a nutrient component of 40 percent protein, 40 percent carbohydrates, and 20 percent minerals that serve as the best application for aquaculture, like crabs farming,” Estipona said.
He said the crab indoor farming is one of the components of the Household Organic Urban for Sustainable Ecologic (HOUSE) integrated farming system, adding that kitchen waste and other biodegradable waste materials would be collected from the households and also from the markets and other business establishments will be used for feeding the BSF.
“Actually, I have started already culturing BSF in my residence that I will distribute to the farmers for the initial feeding of their crabs,” Estipona said.
The veterinarian said that his HOUSE program is part of an urban aquaculture hydroponics farming using a water system with good bacteria that help supply the required water parameters and water management for indoor farming activities.
“The crab setting system is very applicable in the urban areas because it can only occupy a small space inside the house by applying the recyclable aquaculture system to utilize good bacteria while the water will continue circulating in the area where the crabs will be taken care of,” Estipona added.
He said that this crab indoor farming is anticipated to become another livelihood activity of the farmers that could give them additional income and improve their living conditions. I Emmanuel Solis
