Mindanao service facilities launched

President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat, Mayor Azel Mangudadatu: Hopeful for world-class muscovado products. FACEBOOK PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The three new shared service facilities (SSFs) in Mindanao are seen boosting local industries’ capabilities in food production, processing and packaging.

A combined fund of about P2 million was allocated for the muscovado processing center in President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat; production center for herbal food products in Tampakan, South Cotabato; and food production and packaging facility for the Malapatan Food Processors Association in Malapatan, Sarangani Province.

These facilities are expected to improve the quality of products produced by the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to make them more sellable to the market.

In a statement, the Department of Trade and Industry said the Sugar Planters Association of Tinaungan (SPAT) in Sultan Kudarat was the beneficiary of the muscovado processing facilities.

DTI said Mayor Azel Mangudadatu had expressed confidence that with the new facilities, “the muscovado industry will escalate more and that it will help the community [members] become world class muscovado exporters.”

The Danlag Women’s Association (DWA) in South Cotabato was the first recipient of the herbal food product center, as its 81 members are already engaged into herbal tea production like turmeric (luyang dilaw) and ginger (salabat). The Malapatan Food Processors Association in Sarangani, meanwhile, was provided P1 million worth of equipment that can be used for food production and packaging.

This month, four more shared service facility projects are expected to be launched. Two of these projects are for coffee roasting, which will benefit the Lebak Federation of Coffee Growers and The Kalamansig Municipal Employees Association, both from Sultan Kudarat.

Two more SSF projects in Sarangani province have been lined up as well. These are for the coco coir twine and geotextile business of the La Paz Coco Farm Cooperative (LPCFC), and the provision of metal detector for processed food products for the Association of Sarangani Quality Producers.—Amy R. Remo