Bacolod facility opens for farmers and MSMEs
BACOLOD CITY: The provincial government of Negros Occidental opened its P26 million worth of facilities complete with different types of equipment located inside the Negros Food Terminal Market compound in San Juan Street, Barangay 6, Bacolod City on Tuesday, January 31.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, who led the inauguration and blessing, said the facilities will help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) entrepreneurs and farmers in the province.
“With our farmers’ and MSMEs’ raw materials, the TLDC will be instrumental in extending assistance to them,” Lacson said.
The province will help these enterprises in product development, market networking, and links and promotion, as well as exposure and participation in trade fairs and other entrepreneurial opportunities, he added.
“It is not enough that we open doors of opportunities for Negrenses. We must usher them to their full potential,” Lacson pointed out.
He acknowledged that MSMEs, which comprise 99.5 percent of business establishments, are considered the engine of economic growth, job creation, and poverty eradication.
“This project, with its focus on rebuilding the resilience and enhancing the capabilities of the Negrense MSMEs, is part of our vision and goal to effectively implement an inclusive and sustainable economic recovery,” the governor said.
Inaugurated were the new office and showroom of the Technological Livelihood and Development Center (TLDC), Shared Service Facility (SSF), and Organic Trading Post.
The provincial office of the Department of Trade and Industry also put up an office inside the TLDC to help small businesses process their papers. Being sold at the TLDC are food products and handicrafts manufactured by MSMEs from various local government units.
Part of the facility is a fixed outlet for the produce of organic farmers. Also located in the same building is the SSF, which has machinery, equipment, tools, systems, skills and knowledge under a shared system.
Lawyer Rayfrando Diaz, provincial administrator, said the facilities are part of the food security program of the provincial government.
The province will not charge fees for the use of the SSF but would opt for a consignment scheme or percentage cost sharing with the MSMEs.
“We will work towards the Food and Drug Administration accreditation of the products manufactured in the SSF. We can then sell these in supermarkets and other parts of the country,” he added.
“We can prolong the shelf life of raw produce of our farmers while adding value. We also provide training to those who want to acquire new skills to enhance their products,” Diaz said.
He added a long-term plan is to export products to other countries.
This includes sardines, dried fruits and dried vegetables, he added.