DEPARTMENT of Industry (DTI) Davao del Sur provincial director Delia Ayano said localizing mechanization processes must be a priority as it can improve the income of local entrepreneurs.
Ayano underscored the importance of having machines in the country in order to reduce higher processing expenses.
She said Thursday, November 29, during the 1st Mindanao Agricultural Machinery Industry Association Manufacturers’ Forum at Apo View Hotel, Davao City that the government is doing its best in advocating innovations on mechanization through DTI.
DTI’s program on Shared Service Facility (SSF) aims to provide competitiveness of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by providing these enterprises with machineries, equipment, and tools in order to manufacture products.
Ayano said local agricultural entrepreneurs can visit DTI’s regional and city offices in order to access the SSF project.
The SSF Project is being implemented nationwide with project partners termed as Cooperators, which may be any juridical entity such as but not limited to non-government organizations, people’s organizations, cooperatives, industry/trade/business associations, local government units (LGUs), state universities/colleges technical vocational schools and other similar government and training institutions.
Beneficiaries of the project are the actual and potential users of the SSF which should be predominantly cooperatives, associations or groups of MSMEs including MSMEs or individual entrepreneurs who may not be members of cooperatives, associations, corporations or organizations.
Based from DTI’s implementing procedures on SSF project, agricultural entrepreneurs who need a shared facility must meet the following: absence of the needed facility, lack of capacity of an existing facility, cost of services of an existing facility is not affordable, and lack of inadequate technical and administrative services that will promote and facilitate the growth of MSMEs within the priority industry clusters.
For Davao Region, the following are among of the priority industry clusters: cacao, coffee, banana, processed fruits and vegetables, seaweed, rubber, and palm oil.
In 2016, a total of 25 SSFs worth of P12.6 million has been set up in Davao Region by DTI assisting a total of 610 MSMEs.