Central Mindanao women's, farmers' groups get DTI support

KORONADAL CITY, Philippines  ---- Groups of women, sugarcane planters, and community-based native food producers in Central Mindanao are among the initial beneficiaries of the state’s  Shared Service Facilities (SSF) intervention packages for domestic entrepreneurs.

The SSF, implemented by the Department of Trade and Industry, is a “public-private partnership” focused on improving the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and micro-enterprises in the country.

The regional office  of DTI 12 will launch this month  three projects --- the food production and packaging facility support for villagers in Malapatan, Sarangani province, the Muscovado processing facility in President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat province, and a village-level herbal processing venture in Tampakan, South Cotabato province ---  to kickoff the implementation of SSF in Central Mindanao.

Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory L. Domingo and DTI-12's regional director, Ibrahim K. Guiamadel,  will grace the launching rite, tentatively slated on the third week of July.

The department will provide special, customized machines for processing of native food products and medicinal herbs, a mechanized sugarcane crusher and a solar dryer to entrepreneurs in Barangay Tuyan in Malapatan,  Barangay Danlag in Tampakan,  and Barangay Tinaungan in President Quirino  respectively.

The beneficiaries are registered groups of local entrepreneurs engaged in village-level industries that generate additional income for members, mostly marginalized peasants and housewives.

Documents supplied by the DTI-12 indicated that the SSF, as a socio-economic intervention,  will provide processing and manufacturing tools and equipment to beneficiary groups to boost their productivity and market competitiveness.

The nationwide implementation of the SSF has a big “bias” for the country’s 609 poorest municipalities, the reference materials indicated. 

The SSF involves the cooperation of the DTI offices in the provinces as proponents, non-government organizations and business groups, as cooperators, and the SMEs, or community-based enterprises, as beneficiaries.

Local government units that have jurisdiction over the SSF recipient barangays are also to participate in helping push the projects forward.

The DTI-12  will  help “capacitate” the SSF beneficiaries, provide them equipment and other interventions, and help them access domestic and foreign markets.