Agusan del Sur Governor Santiago Cane, Jr. vowed to support cooperatives, especially in the establishment of the crude palm oil processing plant in Barangay Lapinigan in the town of San Francisco.

Members of the NGPI Multipurpose Cooperative met with the governor to discuss the crude palm oil processing plant project. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Agusan del Sur personnel also witnessed the said meeting.

Crude palm oil is an edible vegetable oil that comes from the fruit of palm trees. Two types of oil can be produced: crude palm oil, which comes from squeezing the fleshy fruit, and palm kernel oil, which comes from crushing the kernel, or the stone in the middle of the fruit.

According to Marson Jan Dolendo, officer-in-charge of DTI-Agusan del Sur, the plant will help to prosper in economic development by assisting the 13 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), 85 individual oil palm growers, and some 2,233 members of NGPI Multipurpose Cooperative.

“This will also generate 90 direct jobs and 1,500 indirect jobs, which will also benefit those who are in the neighboring municipalities,” said Dolendo.

NGPI Multipurpose Cooperative sought the support of the Provincial Local Government Unit (PLGU) of Agusan del Sur, through Gov. Cane, for essential assistance in the establishment of the crude palm oil processing plant with the presence of Joy Lagat of the Provincial Accounting Office, Jay Bordaje of the Provincial Budget Office, Dr. Trisha Goloran of the Provincial Planning Development Office, and Josephine Amongan, chief of staff of the Provincial Governor’s Office. 

The NGPI were represented by Nestor Alcular, chairperson; Gil Villaceran, Vivencio Alalan, and Arfe Muñasque, board of directors; Edgar Alcolentava, consultant; and Ilynn Caiquito, general manager. 

With this, NGPI Multipurpose Cooperative outlined their requests for the provision of heavy equipment for site development and to conduct a site inspection to assess the scope of work and estimate the costs required for the site development.

Also, the proposed project is undergoing technical study and documentation compliance for possible funding under the Department of Trade and Industry’s Shared Service Facilities (SSF) Program. This program aims to accelerate local competitiveness by increasing the MSME’s productivity and access to better processing technologies.

Meanwhile, Cane highlighted that since the province is abundant with oil palm trees, this processing plant will provide better opportunities for Agsurnons in terms of livelihood and employment. 

“The provincial government supports this initiative of the NGPI Multipurpose Cooperative with the DTI, and we will give our best efforts to provide them with the necessary equipment to start the project,” said Cane.

The NGPI Multipurpose Cooperative and DTI-Agusan del Sur expressed their gratitude to Gov. Cane and the Provincial Government for their commitment to fostering economic development and look forward to the fruitful implementation of the crude palm oil processing plant project. (JPG, PIA-Caraga with a report from DTI-Agusan del Sur)