By Michael Vincent D. Cajulao
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Department of
Trade and Industry (DTI)-9’s assistance to small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
just got better with an increase in the budget allocation for the Shared
Service Facilities (SSF) program, almost doubling that of last year.
DTI-9 chief Dr. Sitti Amina Jain, in a press release, revealed that the
2014 budget is P46 million, roughly 70 percent higher than the P27.12 million
allocation last year, giving the agency more opportunity to help uplift the
SMEs in the region.
“With this bigger budget, we should be able to help more SMEs in the
region which are needful of government support in acquiring needed equipment, tools
or machinery to improve their production,” Doctor Jain said.
However,
Jain clarified that the project or assistance is not for individual SME but for
groups or duly registered SME organizations as the project’s name implies.
Jain said
they will be targeting high impact projects that would result in more job
creation. This project also aims to help SMEs to come up with better value
added products for added income.
“In our
selection criteria, poverty alleviation through jobs creation is paramount in view
of this government’s commitment for inclusive growth. Walang iwanan (no one be left out) as our Secretary succinctly puts
it in his marching orders to us in the field,” Jain pointed.
Last year,
the DTI had officially launched the SSF in the region with Zamboanga City as
the pilot area, benefiting nine cooperatives with
over P3-million worth of assistance. This was part of the 67 projects the DTI
targeted all over the region in 2013 to address the gaps in the value chain of
priority clusters by providing processing or manufacturing equipment, tools and
machinery.
DTI will
also strictly monitor all beneficiaries to make sure that the project serves
its purpose.
“Our work
doesn’t stop there once the projects are established. We have to monitor and
document the progress of each, making sure that they are used and that they
deliver the benefits as planned,” the DTI-9 chief said. (PIA9)