The Department of Agriculture (DA) has declared the municipality of Buguey in Cagayan Valley as the country’s crab capital.
Buguey’s role in the crab supply chain has been growing over the past decade, the DA said.
Last year, Buguey produced 45.78 metric tons (MT) of mud crab equivalent to 40 percent of the production of the entire Cagayan Valley.
Buguey’s mud crab output last year also accounts for 70.5 percent of mud crabs production in the northern part of the Philippines.
“Buguey provides local livelihood and plays an essential role in the region’s economy and has served as a mud crab production hub for the past ten years,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. in an administrative order.
Aside from generating employment, DA said mud crab production in Buguey fosters economic resilience and supports ancillary businesses like feeds supply, food processing and transportation services.
Tiu Laurel also emphasized that granting Buguey the title isn’t just honorific but a pivotal step in enhancing the town’s mud crab production’s contribution to the national economy, as the country is among the major exporters of mud crabs in Southeast Asia.
Mud crabs, locally known as alimangong putik, are prized crustaceans because of their moist and flavorful meat found in the body and claws. These are usually cultured by farmers along with milkfish and tiger prawns.
Based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the country produced a total of 15,603.77 MT of mud crabs last year, 17.3 percent lower compared to 18,870.28 MT in 2022.
