Village official seeks regulation of ‘Ilocos black gold’ harvest

A village official is seeking the regulation of gamet (called Nori in Japan) gathering in Burgos, Ilocos Norte, to ensure abundant harvest all year-round.

Village Chairman Joegie Jimenez of Poblacion, Burgos, Ilocos Norte, said residents here take pride in their high-valued gamet—a popular red seaweed which is abundant in the coastal waters of Burgos town during the months of November to March.

However, without proper regulation, this may become extinct in the future should gamet gatherers fail to safeguard their very own product which has been one of the residents’ sources of livelihood for years now.

Though the gathering of this wild seaweed is a high-risk occupation since it exposes gatherers to dangerous crags and rough waters, hundreds of families in this coastal town derived their livelihood from gathering and processing wild porphyria sold in the market at P350 to P500 per square foot.

Popularly known as “Ilocos black gold,” gamet originating from this municipality is a favorite pasalubong among Ilocano balikbayan where they buy in bulk orders from gamet gatherers themselves or to wholesale traders.

Over the years, it has been observed that more and more residents including those from neighboring towns are joining gamet gatherers in Burgos because of its lucrative income. It turned out, however, that the production of this high-priced local commodity is becoming less due to the gathering of gamet even if these are still small and not in full growth.

In view of this, Jimenez suggested that local officials must step up measure and enact an ordinance seeking to regulate gamet gathering until it is in full growth. In previous years, the same local ordinance was proposed at the Sangguniang Bayan through Jimenez but this was disapproved by majority of the town council.

Under the proposed ordinance, there shall be designated areas where gamet gatherers can gather for a certain period of time to allow the full growth of gamet until it is ready for harvest.

But according to some residents, gamet grows naturally in Burgos coastal waters and that they should not be prohibited to gather what they call as “God’s abundant blessings.”

PNA

source:  Business Mirror