DTI rolls out more MSME caravans

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Trade and Industry, through, the Bureau of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development (BMSMED), is rolling out more MSME caravans so that the public and private sectors can provide a convergence of assistance to MSMEs in selected provinces in the country.

In a statement, the DTI said the MSME caravan has three objectives: to enhance the competitiveness of MSMEs in the regions; to improve access of MSMEs to government and private sector services particularly to areas where the provision of business development services may be limited; and to increase awareness of MSMEs on various business development services provided by government and private sectors.

Since its start last April, the MSME caravan has been held in the provinces of Bukidnon, Oriental Mindoro, Antique and Surigao del Norte. The MSME caravan is ongoing in the provinces of Zambales, Cagayan, Northern Samar, Sorsogon, Davao Oriental and Zamboanga del Norte.

Among the topics covered in the MSME caravan are franchising, business ethics, product design, product costing / pricing, packaging and leveling, food safety and entrepreneurial mind-set.

At the same time, the DTI has decided to continue implementing the One Town One Product (OTOP) program, which has proven to be an effective strategy for economic development.

The OTOP program facilitates the development of exports, creation of jobs and advancement of the agribusiness and service sectors. It fosters inter-enterprise linkages among MSME and provides means to further strengthen the collaborative network at the local level and helps improve the competitiveness of MSMEs which, in turn, allow them to expand their markets.

To sustain the gains and positive results of the OTOP program, the DTI will develop OTOP as a brand, create a platform that would facilitate the e-marketing for OTOP, continue to develop and promote OTOP green businesses, and ensure that OTOP will be adopted as a strategy to develop MSMEs.

OTOP has been initiated in the Philippines in late 2004. The concept of OTOP was patterned after Japan’s One Village One Product (OVOP) introduced over 20 years ago in Oita Prefecture.

OTOP Philippines offers MSMES a comprehensive package of assistance from the public and private sectors in the form of business counseling, skills and entrepreneurial trainings, product design and development, appropriate technologies and market matching.