MANILA, (PNA) – A group of women under a multi-purpose cooperative in Davao del Sur has benefitted from Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) shared service facilities program after receiving free facilities from the department.
According to DTI, Women’s Organization of PCEC KUMASSIE Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PKEARBAI) received a total of P150,000 worth of facilities for its kakanin business.
”The said SSF project includes a wood-fired oven, wood-fired pugon, coconut grinder, coconut milk extractor, electric rice grinder (or) mill, steamer, stainless steel work table, stainless steel ladle, stainless steel basin, and stainless steel vat,” said DTI.
Women’s Organization Board of Director Cecilia Baclay mentioned that before the equipments are awarded they have to borrow cooking utensils and did extracting of coconut milk manually.
With the help of SSF program, the organization has expanded their products from bibingka making to putong puti and chocolate moron venture.
The enterprise also expects to increase its sales up to 40 percent with the new facilities.
Meanwhile, the DTI’s SSF program, which is headed by the department’s Regional Operations and Development Group (RODG), addresses gaps in the chain of industry clusters by providing micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) the right tools and upgraded equipment for them to maximize business capability and productivity.
The department’s objective aims to prepare MSMEs in the forthcoming ASEAN Economic Community in 2015 in order for the local MSMEs to compete both domestically and other ASEAN members, and for them to benefit in the ASEAN integration.
The government allocated a total of P700 million for this year’s SSF program of DTI.