ROMBLON, Philippines (Romblon News Network) — Members of the Indigenous Peoples community in Barangay Pinamihagan in San Jose, Romblon, are leaving their manual way of processing their corn and cassava harvest.
The group is now turning to automated processing after the Department of Science and Technology MIMAROPA, through its Romblon Provincial Office, gave them a machine that mechanized their corn and cassava processing.
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Before mechanization, they had to process their harvest by hand. According to Dianela Vicente, chieftain of the Ati people in Barangay Pinamihagan, these laborious processes add to the difficulty of their everyday survival.
"Malaking tulong po sa aming mga IPs itong project ng DOST kasi iyong aming mga ani ay pwedeng i-process para makagawa ng ibang produkto gaya ng suman. Masaya kami dahil ang mga ani namin ay pwedeng pagkakitaan sa ibang paraan," Vicente said.
(This DOST project is a big help to use IPs because we can now process our crops and make other products like suman. We are happy because we have new ways to earn money from our harvest)
The IP community received a corn-milling machine, cassava pulverizer, and platform weighing scale. All IPs could use these for free in the area provided by the barangay.
"Initial packaging tools and supplies such as electric sack sewing machine and sacks were also provided to encourage selling from mass production," Provincial Science and Technology Director Lina Servañez said.
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