Tawi-Tawi, BARMM — Nine (9) cooperatives under the Technology Transfer and Commercialization Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) received about P6,800,000.00 worth of food processing equipment and a renovated production area on September 9-11, 2022.
Deputy Minister Dan Salah Asnawi, Chief of Staff Badria Lidasan, Division Chief Monawara Abdulbadie, and Provincial Director Shirmal Mudjahiron led the processing equipment and production area turnover.
In one of the activities, Deputy Minister Asnawi emphasized that cooperatives must use the equipment to its maximum benefit to create more significant profit and help each cooperative member.
Under TTCP, the program aims to support cooperatives in the community by upgrading their production lines and training them on Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), Food Safety and Halal Awareness, and Packaging and Labelling. It is also to adhere to minimum requirements set by the Food and Drug Administration, acquire the latter’s license to operate and be halal-compliant.
It also aims to improve its production by providing processing equipment to supply more products and renovate its production area. It is to get high profit and uplift the lives of cooperative members.
The nine cooperatives that benefitted from this were as follows:
- Sitangkai IP’s Badjao Fishermen and Entrepreneur Marketing Cooperative
- Ungus-Ungus Fisherfolks Multi-purpose Cooperative
- Sahaya Tawi-Tawi Trading and Marketing Cooperative
- Tongehat Farmers Marketing Cooperative
- Fatima Luuk Tulay Assocuation
- One Tawi-Tawi Agri, Aqua Marketing Cooperative
- Sama Polcom Producers Cooperative
- Sama Women Producers Cooperative
- Sitio Subah Batang Farmers and fisher folks Marketing Cooperative
The cooperatives mentioned above were from the municipalities of Bongao, Sibutu, Sitangkai, and Panglima Sugala engaged in seaweed chip making, banana chip making, chilli product making, dried fish making, native delicacies making and other food processing activities.
They were beneficiaries of the ministry’s 2020 and 2021 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises –Upgrading Program (MSMEs-Up) and Science and Technology Livelihood Assistance Program (STLAP).
MOST will continue to turn over more projects in mainland and island provinces, aiming to uplift the lives of the Bangsamoro people through providing technology intervention to micro, small, and medium enterprises in the region.
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