DOST 7 SET-UP Product Catalogue - DOST 7! - Department of ...

Southern Partners & Fair Trade Corporation
“Don’t Just Buy, Buy Just”
Marketing the produce has always been expressed as a problem by farmers. Farmers go direct to the traders,
middlemen and subcontractors who get the bulk of the profit.This existing condition do not benefit majority of
the small producers who are constantly in battle to change their welfare and the kind of life that they deserve.
“Don’t Just Buy, Buy Just” is a slogan that aims to
inject a new sense of consciousness and awareness
among buyers of the products of Southern Partners
and Fair Trade Corporation (SPFTC). Rolando
Labradores, Plant Operations Manager explains that
by buying their products - dried fruits, fruit juices,
purees, jams and jellies - they are contributing to the
welfare of the small farmer producers, specifically
fruit growers, majority of whom are mango producers.
Mango production comprises 60% of the agricultural
production in the region.
Southern Partners began as a cooperative established
by people’s organizations among small producers,
farmers and fisherfolks and NGOs. SPFTC
was registered as a corporation in 1996.
DOST’s intervention came that same year through
product development. SPFTC learned and started
its dehydrated fruit processing venture at the CSCST
Food Technology Transfer Center. After the product
lines have been established, a small processing plant
was put up in Naga, Cebu. This was made possible
through funds solicited from the Anglican Church.
The plant became operational in 1999 but had only
a daily processing capacity of 500 to a maximum of
900 kg of fresh mangoes.
Increasing the volume of production posed a storage
problem, since an inventory of raw materials
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DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY VII
Product Catalogue 2011
that is good for three days of processing, is needed.
Packaging is also a concern including the lack of
instruments to monitor the quality of the products as
required by the customer.
Significant improvements were introduced in 2003
but it was only in 2006, that the DOST intervention
through SET-UP was implemented. SET-UP provided
the needed technology through the acquisition of a
pulper, moisture analyzer and band sealer, among
others.
This technology improved efficiency cutting down
production time with the same volume of production
output. For an 8-hour shift, an increase of almost
20% in output was noted. The laboratory equipment
purchased enabled accurate and timely analysis of
the physical and chemical properties of the products
based on quality parameters.
Spoilage of raw materials was reduced from 15%
to 5%. Plant capacity increased more than four
times. Increased recovery of raw material-to-finished
product output was achieved through product quality
monitoring and mechanizing the extraction of puree.
Packaging time was reduced by more than 50%.
Sales increased by almost 20%.
The involvement of Southern Partners as an
organization has likewise grown. It is a member
of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) since
2004 and chairs the WFTO, Philippines, a country
network with 30 member organizations.
Mr. Labradores mentioned that their goal is to
double their production in 2011. He emphasized
that “with the aid of DOST, the existence of
farmer producers has been made more relevant.”
Productivity and efficiency have been raised.
He added, “naa na mi’y laing kapadul-ngan.”
(Now, we already have an alternative.)
Southern Partners &
Fair Trade Corporation
Sitio Sto. Niño, Inayagan
Naga,Cebu
Ms. Geraldine Labradores
Managing Director
Telefax: (63)(32) 238 2671 / 512 7008
Email: spftc_fairtrade2004@yahoo.com
Website: www.thefairtradeshop.blogspot.com