THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Western Visayas has stepped up measures to further assist priority sectors in Negros Occidental amid the Asean economic integration that requires competitive local enterprises.
DTI-Western Visayas Director Rebecca Rascon, who led the Provincial Visit at the agency’s provincial office in Bacolod City Thursday, February 15, said that this year, they are strengthening collaboration with other agencies and non-government organizations (NGOs) involved in priority sector promotions.
Rascon said strong collaboration with their development partners would result to improvement in productivity and creation of more markets.
“As a strategy, we have to continue our product development interventions as well as ensure that products under these priority sectors are compliant to policies and regulations,” she added.
The seven priority sectors for Negros Occidental include processed fruits and nuts, cacao, coffee, bamboo, wearables and housewares, construction services, and information technology-business process management (IT-BPM).
Rason said the food industry, which covers many of the identified priority sectors, in Western Visayas is robust only that the opportunity for domestic and export market has not been maximized.
Mainly because small producers are not yet able to satisfy the demand, Rascon said.
“To address issues on volume requirement, we need to work with our counterparts like the Department of Agriculture,” Rascon said.
She added that among other initiatives the agency plans to strengthen this year include doubling the number of services delivered and increasing the number of clients served through the Negosyo Centers.
Prior to Negros Occidental, DTI-Western Visayas has already conducted its provincial visits in Aklan and Antique. The same activity will be conducted in Iloilo, Capiz and Guimaras.
These visits are mainly aimed at looking at the agency’s performance in 2017 vital in setting its direction this year, given that the many directives from head office and the environment that governs the planning are also changing.
Rascon pointed out that new arrangements in the global economic environment like free trade agreement and generalized systems of references also affect the agency’s programming in assisting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Thus, there is a need to adapt with these developments, she said, adding that “all our measures are really geared towards developing competitive enterprises in both domestic and Asean markets.”