BY MARCHEL P. ESPINA
The Department of Trade and Industry in Western Visayas has allocated P18.5 million for the bamboo industry development in the region.
DTI 6 regional director, Rebecca Rascon, said this is to ensure the sustainable utilization and promotion of bamboo for new industries.
The assistance will be in the form of training on product development and provision of modern machinery and equipment to augment the production of micro-entrepreneurs, through DTI’s Shared Service Facilities Program, she said.
The agency is also promoting the traditional uses of bamboo for community economic development.
The DTI 6 also conducted a training webinar on bamboo propagation, attended by bamboo farmers, processors, and manufacturers and representatives from local government units in the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental.
MENTOR ME
Meanwhile, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez has urged graduates of DTI’s online mentoring program in Western Visayas to “think out of the box” for their businesses to survive amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
At the online graduation of 41 Kapatid Mentor Me (KMMe) participants, Lopez said graduates should continuously innovate using the online technology during this time of crisis.
“The DTI is also pushing for e-commerce under the new normal,” he said.
Lopez said online business has thrived amid the pandemic when people could not easily go out of their homes to buy essential necessities.
Presidential Assistant for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said the KMMe graduates should have a vision for their business “regardless how big it is”.
“As entrepreneurs, you should also have the passion, industry, and persistence,” he said.
Concepcion said continuing business innovation is “very important”.
Rascon congratulated mentees who underwent the 10 KMMe modules, which were taught online for the first time from July 15 to Aug. 28.
It culminated with the presentation of their business improvement plan (BIP) to panelists on Sept. 16-18.
Their modules comprise entrepreneurial mindset and values formation, marketing mindset, product development, market growth and expansion, operations management, supply and value chain, human resource management, entrepreneurial accounting and finance, taxation, and business law.
“Teaching online is not easy because of the challenge of connectivity,” she said.
KMMe is a program of the DTI in partnership with the Go Negosyo and the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship, and aimed at equipping MSMEs with entrepreneurship fundamentals.*with PNA
