DTI-XI approves 51 SSF projects in 2013

DAVAO CITY, Feb. 04 – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Davao Region was able to approve a total of 51 projects under its Shared Service Facility (SSF) initiative last year.

The SSF, which started just last year, is a major component of the Micro, Small and Medium (MSME) Development Program which is aimed at improving the competitiveness of MSMEs by providing them with machinery, equipment, tools, skills, and knowledge under a shared system.

Further, this is one of the projects under the “Big Push” for MSMEs Program of DTI which is geared towards meeting the challenges posed by the global economy.

Specifically, the SSF projects aim to attain one of more of the following objectives:

·         Enable MSMEs to increase their productivity;

·         Encourage graduation of MSMEs to the next level where they could tap a better and wider market share;

·         Accelerate MSME competitiveness by giving them access to better technologies and more sophisticated equipment; and,

·         Address gaps and bottlenecks in the value chain of the primary industry clusters.

The SSF projects implemented range from heavy duty sewing machine for bayong to coco sugar processing, coco beads production, kakanin production, jewelry production, coco twining and weaving, garments-making, shellcraft production, coffee processing, meat processing, organic fertilizer production, muscovado sugar production, and banana powder processing, among others.

These projects were carefully chosen based on the selection criteria, giving priority on proposals that would generate jobs in view of the government’s commitment for inclusive growth.

The 2013 approved SSF projects in the region, which are meant to improve the capability of MSMEs in the processing of raw materials and improvement of their products’ quality, expended P24 million.

Of the 51 SSF approved projects, 34 have already been established while 17 are to be awarded to the beneficiaries early this year.

These projects are spread out in the region’s five provinces, to wit: 13 in Davao del Norte; 12 in Davao Oriental; 11 in Davao City; nine in Davao del Sur; and six in Compostela Valley.

 

DTI-Davao Region Officer-in-Charge Ma. Belenda Q. Ambi said that more SSFs will be distributed this year since for 2014, the office has a budget of P34.553 million for this particular initiative.

“We hope that we can help more MSMEs improve, not just their productivity but also the quality of their products,” she said. (DTI-11/JenMendoza)