Cassava processing plant for Bogo farmers

CEBU CITY–The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI ) office in Central Visayas has donated a food processing facility to the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda in Barangay Guadalupe, Bogo City, Cebu.The Cassava Chips and Granules Processing Facility amounting to P3.9 million was donated under DTI’s Shared Service Facility (SSF) project. The beneficiaries are farmers belonging to the LAMAC Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LMPC) through their organization Guadalupe Organic Farmers Association (GOFA).The equipment included a cassava chipping machine, cassava chips dyer, cassava dried chip crusher, packaging machine, microwave oven, micro weighing scale and solar dryer. Using the 2017 Yolanda funds, DTI has 12 SSF projects, and six have already been donated, said DTI Director Ma. Elena Arbon.DTI said the SSF project is the agency’s way of supporting the country’s drive towards inclusive growth that has embarked on a Micro, Small, Medium-scale Enterprises (MSMEs) program. Through the cassava production of 30.8 tons per hectare in Bogo, the city was declared by SMFI as the new “Cassava King City” in the province of Cebu.DTI Regional Director Asteria Caberte encouraged other MSMEs to enroll their products in the One Town, One Product (OTOP) Next Generation project of the agency. “We will provide training and mentoring to make their enterprises more productive and successful,” she said during the DTI-7 forum held at their office. Caberte added that they are also monitoring the progress of the enterprises that enrolled their products at the OTOP Next Gen project of DTI-7. “OTOP Next Gen has goal of leveling up the products in the areas of design, quality, and volume that addresses mindset change and mastery of entrepreneurship,” said Caberte. As of 2017, there were 33,964 MSMEs in 1,518 municipalities and cities which created 668,000 jobs.(Calvin D. Cordova and PIT Intern Larnie L. Bacalando)