DTI-6 forges ties for Iloilo’s dairy development thru SSF project

The province of Iloilo is now equipped with a shared service facility (SSF) for Dairy Milk Processing through the support of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 6.

DTI-6 Regional Director Rebecca Rascon hopes that the SSF project will produce an array of dairy products and will not focus on one commodity during the launching of the Dairy Processing SSF on August 10 at Simsiman, Calinog, Iloilo.

The facility will benefit over 160 farmers who are members of the Calinog Farmers Agriculture Cooperative (CAF AGRI COOP), Leon ConFed Farmers Dairy Association and Guinhulacan Farmers Association. The CAF AGRI COOP consists of farmers coming from different municipalities in Iloilo namely Calinog, Lambunao, Bingawan, Duenas, Passi City, San Dionisio, Lemery, Zarraga and Badiangan; and Ivisan and Roxas City in the Province of Capiz.

Rascon expects to expand the target reach of the dairy products not just in Calinog but throughout Western Visayas.

As part of the launching, the DTI turned over to the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) at West Visayas State University (WVSU), the project’s cooperator, the equipment worth Php1.4M for the operation of the facility.

The equipment includes pasteurizing tank, milk pump, Y strainers, cooling tank, milk storage, cooling tower, hot water generator, dairy tubes, milking machines (vaccum and petrol type), and top chest freezer.

The dairy processing facility is the first dairy SSF granted by the DTI to the province of Iloilo and the second SSF project in Calinog, following the SSF project on Traditional Embroidery and Loomwoven Textile in 2020.

Rascon said that DTI is motivated to do more for the local farmers to support their families and cater to institutional markets such as the School-based Feeding Program by the Department of Education and DSWD’s Supplementary Feeding Program.

Meanwhile, Dr. Myrtel C. Alcazar, Senior Science Research Specialist of the PCC at WVSU expressed gratitude for the support of partner government entities such as the DA, DTI, DepEd, DSWD, the local government unit of Calinog, and stakeholders in the SSF project’s establishment.

The activity was capped off with a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing between DTI and PCC at WVSU.