"Its-safe" Bohol CCI Food Safety Project

The Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), a non-stock, non-profit organization duly organized to serve as catalyst in the development of the legitimate businesses in Bohol is now implementing the Integrated Technology, Systems and Support Amenities for Food Enterprises (ITS-SAFE) Project. The Project is co-funded by the Philippine-Australia Community Assistance Program (PACAP), the Provincial Government of Bohol, City Government of Tagbilaran, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with BCCI as the implementor.

The ITS-SAFE Project was conceptualized during a series of meetings of the Provincial Small and Medium Enterprises Development Council (PSMEDC) chaired by BCCI incumbent President Norris C. Oculam, to address the issue on the importance of food safety and better packaging for local food products in the province of Bohol.

Although Bohol is predominantly an agricultural province, home-based industries, which are mostly in the micro and cottage levels, play a very vital role in the local economy. Furthermore, with the growing tourism industry in the province, food processing has been considered as a major and fast growing business sector.

A random survey conducted last October of 2006 by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Bohol Provincial Office for the food processing sector revealed that only 368 of the food processing firms and about 34 cooperatives/associations with food processing projects are registered, compared to some 500 unregistered processors. Likewise, only 18% of the respondent food processors have undergone formal food safety trainings and 12% have BFAD Registration.

Of about 1,000 firms doing food processing: 35% are into bakery products, cakes and biscuits; 18% into cookies and delicacies; 12% into snack foods and chips; 10% into calamay, suman and puto; 5% into chicharon and tableya; 5% into VCO, vinegar and bahalina; 3% into ice food, fruits ad juice drinks, and 2% into processed meat and fish products.

Another survey result revealed that 30-50% of food spoilage is attributed primarily to insufficient packaging and almost 90% of small food processors have very poor packaging.

The ITS-SAFE Project aims to address the issue by enhancing awareness of local food processors on the importance of food safety, considering that Bohol is now a prime tourist destination in the country. Aside from the conduct of food safety trainings for food processors, the project also intends to improve the packaging and labeling designs of the food products.

The project likewise intends to encourage project beneficiaries to shift packaging to food grade packaging materials, thus increasing food safety of Boholano processed food. Another benefit is the strengthening of the Bohol brand by ensuring the quality and safety of food that tourists eat or take home with them as “pasalubong”.

The Integrated Technology, Systems and Support Amenities for Food Enterprises (ITS-SAFE) Center will be established at NIA Compound, Barangay Dao in Tagbilaran City. BCCI has entered into a usufruct agreement with the Provincial Government of Bohol for the use of an abandoned building which will be fully renovated for the project.

The center will maintain a Provincial Food Safety Team which will be responsible for enhancing awareness of at least 1,000 food processors on the importance of food safety and packaging. A Food and Packaging Center will likewise be set up, complete with necessary packaging equipment. The center will also provide technical support and extension services to livelihood groups and firms through the extension of industry and firm level consultancy on food safety, food testing, workplace improvements (production layout improvements, time and motion studies, production process flow, etc.), product development, product packaging and labeling that shall enable at least
300 local food processors to increase productivity hygienically produce and properly package their products.

The center will network and converge with other stakeholders to further promote the project and come up with a comprehensive data base and food industry profile for the processed food sector. A well-furnished commissary/business incubator will likewise be established, complete with necessary equipment for the introduction and development of new food products with supporting technology replication.

The center will provide label designing and package printing assistance to livelihood groups and/or individual firms through generic packaging and package printing financing program.

The ITS-SAFE Project will be conducting a series of food safety trainings provincewide and is encouraging all local government units to extend full support to this very laudable undertaking which will provide a wide array of services for the enhancement of the local food processors’ capabilities to produce safe food products with superior packaging. In the long run, the project will give local food products a greater and wider market access, thereby generating more income and employment opportunities in the province.



Taken from www.philippinechamber.com

Going Global

DTI BOHOL PURSUES VALUE CHAIN APPROACH IN DEVELOPING PRIORITY SECTORS: PROCESSED FOOD (PASALUBONG), RAFFIA-BASED PRODUCTS AND FASHION ACCESSORIES

The Department of Trade and Industry – Bohol in partnership with the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and local stakeholders/partners organized and conducted a value chain workshop (second level) to three priority sectors in the province namely processed food (pasalubong), raffia-based products and fashion accessories sectors last May 5 and 6, 2008 at the Soledad Suites Function Room, 4th Floor of the Soledad Suites Building.

The main purpose of the value chain workshops is to help partner public and private agencies and concerned producers in the sectors assess the value chain links of their respective businesses and sectors that will be the basis in formulating the development plans of the sectors. The value chain maps that were developed during the first workshop conducted last February 2008 at the MetroCentre Hotel were given deeper analyses and treatment as to value adding, and cost and revenue efficiency along the value chain links of the industries. Findings of which will be the basis of the program interventions for the sectors.

Twenty (20) micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMES) attended the workshop with lead facilitators from the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), Ms. Rita Pilarca, Senior Adviser GTZ and Ms. Miriam Bacalso, Regional Coordinator GTZ. The GTZ facilitators were assisted by sector facilitators from DTI Bohol, Blair Panong, Jerome Gabin, Jess Bernasor, Sungsoo Jin and Lucille Autentico.

DTI Bohol Provincial Director Nannette Arbon emphasized the importance of employing the value chain approach in the development of the three priority sectors.

Next steps will be the focused sectoral workshops for the three sectors.

Exporters study Canadian market

By Cris Evert Lato
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 12:07pm (Mla time) 05/22/2008

Exporters from the Visayas provinces have begun exploring business potentials in Canada in their bid to try other markets amid slow growth in the export sector.

Six exporters from the gifts, toys and housewares (GTH) sector from the provinces of Cebu, Bacolod and Bohol visited Canada from April 19 to May 3 under the auspices of the Canadian Executive Service Organization-Business Advisory Program (Ceso-BAP).

Timothy Moiket, Ceso-BAP country manager, said the trip was intended as a follow-through for these companies, which have been assisted by their program for the past eight years.

Moiket said the companies need further assistance to penetrate markets such as Canada and the United States.

“The philosophy is to have a complete and concrete cycle of assistance for small and medium enterprises. They need to improve products and operations,” he told Cebu Daily News.

“With the improvements, they will have the capability to better deal with both the domestic and international markets,” Moiket added.

Eddy Ares, executive director of Cebu-GTH Foundation who was one of the delegates, said the trip gave them an idea about the Canadian market and enabled them to identify their competitors.

Charmaine Ong, marketing director of handicraft company – Angel Whispers Inc., said she observed the Canadian market is similar to the Cebu market.

“They have the money but like Cebu, they want value for the money. As exporters, we need to educate them that we have products which they need,” she said.

Ong said Canada follows the United States in terms of trends in the GTH industry with most stores found to sell products manufactured in China and Vietnam.

Ong said the company is currently working on possible tie-ups with some Canadian stores where they can display their products.

In a phone interview, Bohol Processed Food and Delicacies Association (Profoods) founder Anton Pernia said prospects are high for Bohol-made processed foods in Canada.

“Our products such as broas (lady-finger cookie) and kinatluan (heart-shaped cookie) have been receiving orders from abroad. Our products have stories to tell so they sell,” he told Cebu Daily News in a phone interview.

He said during the recent trip to Canada, Lovlawos and Whole Food, which are high-end supermarkets, have expressed interest in ordering products from them.

Other members of the delegation to Canada were Profoods president Arnold Labunog, and Herminia Tongson and Elfrena Gonzaga of the Garments Manufacturers Association of Negros Occidental.

Although the Ceso-BAP program ended last March 2008, Moiket said companies can still consult volunteer advisers for assistance and market advisories.