The Department of Science and Technology Regional Office No. IX (DOST-IX) has recently approved the project to upgrade the tablea production facility of Roteo Farm. The assistance, amounting to P 131,400.00, is funded under the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP). The Roteo Farm, owned by Ms. Teosista Balladares, is located at Pian, Polanco, Zamboanga del Norte.
Processing cacao into chocolate tablet was inherited by the current owner from her parents. Through the new technology introduced by Cocoa Foundation of the Philippines (CocoaPhil), the farm was able to acquire facilities such as solar and mechanical dyer, fermentation boxes and shredder for cacao peels.
The increase of demand for tablea made the owner of Roteo Farm propose to upgrade their existing processing facilities. Considering the management’s capability and technical know-how to man the project, the high demand for the finished product, high profit and the impact that will be generated from the project operation, the Regional Technical Evaluation Committee of DOST highly recommend the approval of SETUP assistance.
The assistance will include the acquisition of new equipments to include a roaster, grinder and molder. Training on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Basic Sanitation and Hygiene for food handlers will also be conducted to its workers.
Through the project, Roteo Farm is expected to produce better quality tablea, increase their production and income by 70%.
SETUP, a flagship program of DOST, is a nationwide strategy to encourage and assist micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in implementing technological innovations and improvements in their operations to boost their productivity and competitiveness. (DOST IX PRESS RELEASE)
