DTI urges organizers to help MSMEs to become competitive

DAVAO City – Department of Trade and Industry on Friday challenged organizers of the annual Mindanao Trade Expo (MTE) to help the products of micro, small and medium enterprises compete with exports coming from neighboring countries.

DTI-11 director Maria Belenda Q. Ambi the organizers can do this by expanding their network of designers, inventors, and technology providers.

Ambi said this will provide MSMEs more options for product development in preparation for the Asean Economic Community (AEC), which will take effect in December this year.

Advocating empowerment through entrepreneurship, the foundation has trained 20 residents in Carmen, Davao del Norte on new livelihood in a bid to provide them with a steady source of livable income with the support of the local government and Department of Agrarian Reform. Some of them are housewives, tricycle drivers, and vendors.

“They are developing water hyacinth to make slippers. But next year, we will expand the products to housewares and fashion accessories and other products,” Mahinay added.
According to farmers, Carmen has 17 hectares of water hyacinth, also known as waterlily, which clogs the waterways causing floods in the town.

MTEFI president Rosevic del Rosario-Cembrano added the staging of MTE seeks to showcase the potentials of water hyacinth from being wastes to products.

“The showcase, on the other hand, will give the show’s visitors a better understanding on the usage and develoopment of water hyacinth, from raw, semi-processed, fully-processed materials ready for product development and a product,” she added.

She cited that some local products in Mindanao have become known not only locally but also globally.

“More importantly, this year’s MTE will highlight the skill and craftsmanship of our local designers, craftsmen and artisans who have not only product award-winning creations, but have also won in prestigious international competitions,” she said. MINDANEWS