Fruits and vegetables, once processed, can be made available even during off-season or when supply is scarce or unavailable. Toxins are also removed, making the food safe to consume and the delicate perishability of food is remedied.


Food processing today can also be an enticing enterprise because of its employment and income generation potential. Thus, the establishment of the Technology Demonstration Center (TDC) is fitting to the prevailing trend of processing.


The Bureau of Postharvest Research and Extension (BPRE) instituted the TDC to enable and prepare farmers, processors and small holder entrepreneurs to engage in postharvest handling and processing of high value crops. It is a collaborative project of BPRE, LGU and the State Colleges and Universities (SUCs) in the area.


The TDC is also aimed at reducing postharvest losses, increasing income, generating additional employment and averting the problem of low price during production season by processing marketable surplus.



TDC-Sunas at work



Situated at the Surallah National Agricultural School (SUNAS) in Surallah, South Cotabato, the TDC has been a convenient site for processing high-value crops in the region.


Mrs. Helen N. Cogoma, 50, serves as the manager of the Technology Demonstration Center (TDC). According to Mrs. Cogoma, the TDC which was launched in January 9, 2002, has provided equitable access and opportunities like information, training and support services to the clienteles in the area.


For its four years of operation, the SUNAS-TDC has been successful in sharing food processing knowledge and skills among the students and community and to residents of municipalities adjacent to Surallah town.


The appetizing set of processed products derived from fruits and vegetables are pineapple marmalade, banana ketchup, papaya pickle, mango chutney, cucumber relish, to name a few. These are being displayed and marketed at the TDC.


Mrs. Cogoma reveals, 'The TDC is very useful. We were able to use the facility in teaching out-of-school youths (OSYs), residents of nearby barangays, students and micro-entrepreneurs who are interested to learn food processing.'


BPRE has given us utensils which we are using in processing our products. 'Masaya kami sa binibigay na assistance sa amin ng BPRE,' she declares.


'Aside from the utensils, BPRE has also given us training to enhance our skills on how to process our products', she adds.


The TDC has no sufficient finances to run the operations. Thus, the starting capital used in food processing came from laboratory funds of students. The income now serves as the revolving fund of the TDC.


Five personnel comprise the TDC workforce. They are college instructors teaching food processing, tourism, hotel and restaurant technology.


Their clients are students, OSYs and parents from nearby barangays. 'They are really interested and happy to have the knowledge on food processing because they can use it in their day-to-day living,' says Cogoma.


The TDC also serves as One-Stop-Information Shop that presents technologies on how to process fruits, vegetables and meat.


The array of fruits being processed are banana, papaya, pineapple and mango which are abundant whole-year round.


At present, TDC-Sunas is conducting a training on processing food like fruits, vegetables, fish and meat for 10 Saturdays starting in mid-June until October. The training is a whole day activity participated in by parents and OSYs. This is seen to exploit idle hands and equip with useful skills which could make them more productive.



Challenges ahead



Food processing can be a reliable source of additional proceeds which could help ease the family's everyday expenditure. It preserves high value crops for extended periods thus, it maintains sufficient food supply.


However, marketing of products is still a problem. 'Okay yung processing but we don't have enough time to vend the products,'Cogoma discloses.


'We are hampered with overwhelming teaching load so we can't really focus on promoting these products,' she adds.


Moreover, their clienteles are interested to pursue food processing enterprise. Some have already joined the industry but some say their finances are inadequate to run a business. Hence, the TDC personnel are continuously monitoring their trainees who have already engaged in entrepreneurship and those who are still planning to do so.


Based on the positive response of the clienteles, they intend to conduct more seminars in order to disseminate information and encourage them to involve in the food processing industry.


'We also plan to produce IEC materials on food processing to provide immediate information to our clients,' she concludes.


When the clienteles are already outfitted with knowledge and skills on food processing, they can already have an alternative source of livelihood. More importantly, fruits and vegetables plentiful in the land will be maximized for consumption and saved from rotting and wastage.