Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura congratulates Southern Partners and Fair Trace Center, Inc. (SPFTC) Managing Director Geraldine M. Labradores after signing the grant contract for “The Project for Upgrading the Food Processing Plant Facilities and Provision of Equipments for Fair Trade Products for Small Farmers in the Province of Cebu” on March 10, 2010 at the Embassy of Japan. Photo also shows staff from SPFTC and the Embassy of Japan. |
Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura and the Southern Partners and Fair Trade Center, Inc. Managing Director Geraldine M. Labradores signed the grant contract for “The Project for Upgrading the Food Processing Plant Facilities and Provision of Equipments for Fair Trade Product s for Small Farmers in the Province of Cebu” on March 10, 2010 at the Embassy of Japan. The project, amounting to US$93,910 (approximately 4.3 million pesos), is funded through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP).
Mango production is traditionally famous in Cebu Province. Mango export is a major contributor to the country's foreign exchange reserves, with about 20 foreign countries importing both fresh and processed mango from the Philippines. The annual revenue of the Philippines from the mango industry amounts to approximately 1,400 million dollars. On the other hand, small mango farmers, who are directly involved in mango production, have not fully benefited from the scale of the industry.
To cope with various problems the small farmers are facing, the Southern Partners and Fair Trade Center, Inc. (SPFTC) established a fruit processing plant in Naga City, Cebu to serve as a direct link between producers and consumers. The SPFTC advances the fair trade practice by purchasing farm products at fair prices, and deliver s quality products to consumers. Their activities have contributed to income increase of small farmers. However, due to the capacity limitation of the equipment they own, only limited amounts of fruit can be processed per day.
With the grant assistance, the SPFTC will purchase a new fruit dehydrator that has a larger capacity and two burner stoves that can also contribute to the improvement of productivity. A hauling truck will be also provided under the grant in order to pick up harvested fruit and deliver their products. To improve the hygiene and sanitary condition of the plant, new stainless steel basins and cooking vats, etc. will be also purchased, and some reforms of the plant will also be implemented, such as roof insulation setting, drainage setting, and floor tiling. This project will improve the efficiency and productivity of the SPFTC-owned plant and, therefore, contribute to income increase of about 450 small farmers.
GGP was launched in the Philippines in 1989 to reduce poverty and help various communities engaged in grassroots level activities. As of December 2009, more than 400 small-scale grassroots projects funded by GGP – ranging in cost from roughly 1 to 4 million pesos – have been implemented by NGOs, local government units, and other non-profit organizations. The total grant for these projects so far amounts to US$ 17,418,724 ( approximately 800 million pesos at P48/USD).
Japanese Version
