PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—Local seaweed producers in Palawan generated P626 million with a total seaweed production of 86,011 metric tons in the second quarter of 2011, the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics reported.

In its recent Fisheries Situationer report, the bureau said Palawan maintains its status as the number one seaweed-producing province in the country producing 86,011 MT, a 7.99 percent increase compared to the 79,649 MT produced during the same period last year.

The BAS attributed the production increase to the bigger area harvested in San Vicente, better quality planting materials and less diseases.

The top seaweed producing municipalities in Palawan are Cagayancillo, Araceli, Agutaya, Roxas, Magsaysay, Taytay, and Araceli. About 10,000 farmers are engaged in seaweeds farming in the province.