Koronadal’s efforts for the TGF program are now felt
The City of Koronadal’s effort for the Tree Growing Festival (TGF) program is now being felt after a few years of anticipation, as it already provides livelihood to some beneficiaries.
Rodrigo Moreno, the incumbent Barangay Councilor and former Barangay Captain of Mambucal, was one of the program’s 2015 recipients, with 350 cacao seedlings planted on his nearly six (6) hectares of land.
Brgy. Councilor Moreno said that from planting mango and coconut as his main crops he tried to plant cacao because of the influence and recommendation of an agriculture technician, Mr Gerardo “Boy” Cordero who was a former employee of the City Agriculture Office who also grows the same product in his farm.
Moreno’s family, on the other hand, began showcasing their cacao products by processing it into pure “tableya” from 2019 to 2020, but their first attempt was a big challenge because it was difficult to produce quality goods due to a lack of well-fitting equipment. “Sa palengke ra man gud namo gipagaling,” Moreno said at city’s FB live program “Tingog sa Pagsanyog”.
Apart from the facilities, another struggle they faced is the lack of consultants and capital to begin their business until their product was included at One Town One Product (OTOP) organized by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region XII.
OTOP is a priority stimulus program for Micro, Small and Medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) where government customized intervention to drive inclusive local economic growth. The program also enables localities and communities to determine, develop, support, and promote products or services that are rooted in their local culture, community resource, creativity, connection, and competitive advantage.
Aside from the said agency, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Region XII also granted assistance through interest-free capital loans worth Php1,000,000.00, payable for three (3) years, grinding machines and other facilities.
“Tungod sa tabang sa gobyerno, naka-produce na gyud mi ron ug de kalidad na tableya ug lahi-lahing tsokolate,” Moreno’s statement mixed with joy and excitement.
(Through the help of the government, we have been able to produce quality “tableya” and different chocolate foodstuffs.)
Morenos is currently awaiting the approval of their Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permit, which is required for food and drug businesses, in order to begin wide trading and displaying of their RMM food products and Rodrigo’s Dark Sweets and milk chocolates in the market, as well as considering exportation in the near future.
Moreno is not only operating RMM food products but a proprietor as well of RMM Zipline and Eco-Tourism Resort located at Barangay Mambucal.