DTI opens shared services facility for coco coir in Davao

The Department of Trade and Industry has launched a shared services facility in Calinan, Davao City for producers of coco coir twine, the department said in a statement Monday. Shared services facilities, or SSFs, are common service or production centers for certain processes. They are established with the goal of providing micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) "affordable means to package their products and eventually turn these enterprises into world-class exporters" by enhancing their capability to process raw materials, according to the DTI in an earlier statement. The department has been allotted P770 million for its SSF program, with 1,000 such facilities to be established nationwide this year. Coco coir is a natural fiber extracted from coconut husks and is used to make rope, mats, fishing nets and other products. The Calinan SSF is expected to benefit more than 50 coco coir twine manufacturers. — BM, GMA News