DOST okays muscovado Bauko processing project

By Juliet B. Saley

BAUKO, Mountain Province -- The Department of Science and Technology –Cordillera Administrative Region approved a community-based project on muscovado processing in this town.

The project aims to increase production and farmers’ income, generate local employment, sugarcane processing and development.

Based on a DOST-CAR report, the project requires P959,668 shared by proponents and the DOST.

Provincial Science and Technology Director Norbert Cobaldez said proponents of this project are the Bala-n Livelihood Organization in Banao, Maletang Irrigators Association in Gotang, Balintaugan, and Guinzadan Agro Producers Association in Guinzadan Sur.

The proponents’ counterpart is P510,900 which will be used for the construction and materials for the cooking chamber, procurement of equipment and other tools and raw materials for each of the proponents.

An amount will also be used for training of five cooperators and honorarium of trainors for the three sites.

The DOST’s counterpart is P393,244 which will be used for technology acquisition in terms of sugarcane juicer/extractor, packaging and labeling assistance for product improvement for each of the proponents, and institutional support for the packaging and labeling services for three months.

Sugarcane area plantation in this municipality covers more than 15 hectares with on-going expansion through the provision of 30,000 cuttings by the municipal government to the three barangay- beneficiaries.

There is no established sugarcane processing to muscovado in town. The current practice of some sugarcane producers here is to transport the sugarcane to the nearby municipality of Tadian for processing which entails P2,500 transportation cost per load. Because of the high cost, some products are not utilized.

The community-based project on muscovado processing is one of the identified project proposals submitted by the designated municipal science and technology coordinators during the orientation seminar on development project identification and project proposal write shop conducted by DOST-CAR. This activity is the first phase of the agency’s Science and Technology for the Advancement of Municipalities (STEAM) project.

The STEAM project aimed at establishing a network of capacitated and high performing municipal science and technology coordinators as partners in development.

Aside from muscovado processing, other project proposals for Bauko submitted to DOST include community-based project (CBP) on meat processing of Bila, and sweet potato processing of Poblacion.

Other projects from the different S and T coordinators in the province are CBP on sweet potato processing in Agawa, Besao; CBP on heirloom rice processing, and improvement of rice milling process in Fiangtin, Barlig; demo/piloting of organic feeds production of Natonin Integrated Research and Demonstration farm in Natonin; 'etag' and coffee packaging and labeling assistance with laboratory analysis in Poblacion, Sagada; product improvement of Masla muscovado in Masla, Tadian; and improvement of Bontoc solid waste management system, and CBP on food processing for Saint Vincent High School (SVHS) 4H club in Poblacion, Bontoc. -- PIA