Buug, Zamboanga Sibugay - Guerrero Milling & Mechanical Drying Service, an Agri-based firm based in Buug, Zamboanga Sibugay, has received funding assistance from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through its Provincial Science and Technology Office – Zamboanga Sibugay Province (PSTO-ZSP).
The firm availed of the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) for the provision of one (01) unit mechanical grain dryer facility with biomass furnace system. The equipment is part of the opportunities for improvement (OFIs) identified for the firm by the PSTO-ZSP during technology needs assessment.
Provincial staff, led by Mr. John Kenneth Cabral, facilitated the turnover of funding assistance to Mr. Jaime Guerrero, SETUP cooperator and proprietor of Guerrero Milling. The firm received the Innovation Fund (iFund) amounting to One Million Five Hundred Forty-Five Thousand Pesos (₱1,545,000.00) for the acquisition of the aforesaid technology.
With the new drying facility, the firm can now attain the required 14% rice grain moisture content accuratgely through its built-in moisture meter, a major upgrade from the traditional solar drying process of the firm. The facility also helps minimizes, if not totally eliminates, foreign objects like dirt, pebbles, and other contaminants obtained during the drying operation. The firm is also expected to generate at least three (03) additional workers directly involved in the operation and maintenance of the said facility.
The project funded under DOST's SETUP is part of the agency's commitment to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country through technology upgrading and innovation. Through this program, SMEs like Guerrero Milling can improve their productivity, competitiveness, and profitability.
SETUP assists micro, small, and medium enterprises engaged in various industries to improve productivity via science, technology, and innovative interventions – technology upgrading, product development / improvement, system / process improvement, and human resource development, among others.
For more information, please contact the DOST-IX Provincial Science and Technology Office in Zamboanga Sibugay Province at (062) 955-0825 or 09178494214. And to be updated on the latest happenings, please follow our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DOSTRegion9 (CARLO SYL L. QUINTE, DOST-IX Press Release).
