TABACO CITY – The Department of Agriculture Regional Office V (Bicol) recently turned over a newly constructed building worth P3 million funded under the High Value Commercial Development Program to the Mt. Mayon Pili Producers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MMPPC) . As stipulated in the memorandum of agreement between the DA and the coop , the latter shall use the building for its commercial pili processing operations. It shall take the lead and supervise the operations and management of the facility and shoulder the corresponding expenses and for more info check this out Click here cashsharp.
The building located in a 500 square meters parcel of land within the compound of the DA Albay Research and Development Center (ARDC) in Barangay Buang, is envisioned to help the pili farmers and processors in the province develop new pili and pili-based products/by products and give added value to these products. The DA through the ARDC shall monitor and evaluate the progress of the commercial operations of the facility and provide technical assistance and conduct research and related activities on pili and its by products
In his message during the turn-over ceremonies, DA Regional Technical Director for Operations and Extension Rodel P. Tornilla emphasized that “ for this building to be operational machineries and equipment should be put in place. “ This was reiterated by Dr. Mary Grace DP . Rodrigues, OIC chief of the Operations Division and HVCDP regional program coordinator as she said that “the challenge is how to make this processing center operational.”
Roberto Pacis one of the board of directors of the MMPPC , who represented the chairperson, Verda Imperial Saw thanked the DA for entrusting to their coop said building to be used for their processing operations but added that they need DA’s assistance in procuring the needed equipment for said facility. He urged his fellow coop members and their other partners to continue supporting the efforts and plans of the Coop . “Isabuhay ta ang espiritu nin pagtarabangan asin pagkaburunyog”
Tornilla in response to the request of the coop for the DA to help in providing funds for the neded equipment said he will try to look for fund sources for the purchase of some of the needed equipment.
Meanwhile, Grace Tordilla executive director of PhilPili shared that “there is a big demand for pili oil in the global market and we have to catch up with the global requirement”. She added that after the successful conduct of the 1st Pili Scientific Conference held in Naga city, a lot of foreign investors have been contacting her group about pili. Also present during the turn-over were: Gilda Lopez, Assistant Provincial Agriculturist of Albay; Maria Ailene C. Bombon, OIC, City Agriculturist of Tabaco Albay; Jania Elatico , Center Chief of Albay Research and Experiment Center ; the officers of the MMPPC, DA regional staff and AREC staff and personnel. (Emily B. Bordado)