SOUTH SEA PEARL FARM IN GUIMARAS
Guimaras, Sept. 22, 1997 -- Marine pearls, known in the fashion world as South Sea pearls, will soon be harvested in the waters off Sabang Sibunag town. The pearl farm started operations four months ago, and expect to harvest pearl-laden oysters by mid-1998.
Establishment of a South Sea pearl industry in Guimaras was made possible through technical assistance and P178,000 in financial support from the Department of Science and Technology. The four-hectare marine farm for culturing the bivalves, locally known as "tipay'" was developed by a cooperative composed of divers and compressor owners.
DOST's provincial coordinator for Guimaras Delia Tabanao said perfect round pearls command as much as P10,000 to P20,000 per piece, while blister pearls, which grown attached to the oyster shell, sell for between P300-P500 each. An oyster could have more than one blister pearl while at the same time "hosting" a spherical one.
Equipment for the farm and nacre oyster irritants have already been imported from California.
Reported by: Sol Jose Vanzi
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