The Balik Probinsya Bagong Pag-asa (BP2) project of Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University and the Department of Agriculture- Regional Field Office 1 (DA-RFO1) moves up from providing trainings to mentoring recipients on enterprise development. Three (3) BP2 recipients from Bani, Pangasinan took on the challenge of actual business and product development which was held at the food laboratories of the College of Agriculture and College of Fisheries, South La Union Campus last September 7-8, 2022 .
Aimed at helping the recipients create agri-related enterprises and strengthen technology transfer through the technology business incubation strategy, the enterprise development phase of the BP2 project follows after a series of intensive agricultural production and food processing trainings held early this year in various locations across Region 1.
With enterprise development mentoring, BP2 recipients were given hands-on opportunities to develop their chosen technologies into marketable products. A lecture on business planning, marketing, packaging, and labeling was shared by Prof. Victoria N. Malaya, who is also DMMMSU-Agri Aqua Technology Business Incubator (ATBI) project leader. Prof. Dahlia A. Reyes delivered a talk on basic bookkeeping and accounting. After which, participants proceeded to food processing and product development of their chosen technologies: meat processing (longganisa), ube processing (ube chips and ube jam), tomato processing (tomato jam and tomato candy), marinated deboned bangus, smoked deboned bangus, and bottled bangus (in corn or olive oil). They were guided every step here by Prof. Anabella G. Valdez, Ms. Erlinda Q. Balancio, Ms. Ysabel Orpilla, Ms. Joana Marie E. Abanes, and Ms. Eden P. Borce.
During the closing, Mr. Ronald Bustos, SLUC Extension Head, expressed high hopes for the recipients to make profits from the business plans and products that they have developed during the mentoring sessions. Also monitoring the sessions was Ms. Rhoda Galban, Senior Agriculturist from the DA-RFO1.
Designed to help BP2 recipients make a living on their return to their home provinces, the BP2 collaborative project of DMMMSU and DA-RFO1 has been going around the region since March 2022 delivering DMMMSU agricultural production and food processing technologies right where they are needed. (Ronald Bustos)
