Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Philippine Center for Postharvest
Development and Mechanization
CLSU Compound, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija

SUCCESS STORIES

Kababaihang Masigla ng Nueva Ecija and the MCSTD
by Mila B. Gonzalez (March 18, 2019)
She wanted a livelihood for women in their barangay. She desired that fruits in season will be utilized into various products and not go to waste. She hoped to adopt a “back to basics” lifestyle and go “natural”. She is Mrs. Vilma Joson, founder and president of the Kababaihang Masigla ng Nueva Ecija (KMNE).

The KMNE consists of rural women engaged in the processing of agricultural commodities like fruits, vegetables and fish. Their products include dried tomatoes, tamarind sweets, guava jelly, dried herbs, “tilanggit” ( salted dried fish), turmeric and ginger tea, powdered mushroom, rice wine and so forth. These are sold in various market outlets in Nueva Ecija and Metro Manila.

Partnership with PHilMech started when Mrs. Joson was looking for an appropriate dryer that would dry their products. Through the help of Dr. Helen F. Martinez of PHilMech, the KMNE became a successful adopter of the Multi-Commodity Solar Tunnel Dryer (MCSTD).

The MCSTD is a viable alternative to sundrying and commercial mechanical dryers. It dries commodities simultaneously, efficiently and hygienically.

“Sa MCSTD malinis ang pagkakatuyo ng mga produkto . May proteksyon sa biglang pag-ulan, hindi nadadapuan ng langaw at alikabok. Higit sa lahat, it allows me to have me a one year inventory which enables me to meet our market demand (With the use of MCSTD, the products are dried hygienically. It provides protection against sudden rain, flies and dust…),” said Mrs. Joson.

“What I really wanted is for the members of the association to gain self-worth and to show that women can also do something worthwhile,” Mrs. Joson added.

Through her successful adoption of the MCSTD, the KMNE was able to gain a net income of PhP140,000 in 2005 during its first year of operation. In 2017, KMNE’S annual income ranged from PhP450,000 to PhP1,500,000 depending on the crop combination.

Today, KMNE continues to soar as a successful women-led enterprise. On top of this, KMNE continues to partner with PHilMech as a “social laboratory” and learning site to new MCSTD adopters. For the last 12 years, KMNE taught rural women, entrepreneurs, farmers all over the country on how to build a successful MCSTD-based enterprises.