BUCAY, Abra (PIA) — Women in Barangay Banglolao in Bucay, Abra are earning income by turning their backyard plants into one of the town’s best-selling local products, the native cacao tablea.
Members of the Banglolao Women’s Association are among the top producers of cacao products in the province such as tablea, chocomani, and chocoyema.
They are selling their products at pasalubong centers and stores in the province. They are also exporting some of these to other countries like Saudi Arabia and Italy through friends and relatives.
The association was able to put up a shared facility and acquired equipment for the processing of their products with the assistance from government agencies such as the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Labor and Employment, and the local government unit, among others.
In an interview with DTI Provincial Director Officer-in-Charge Marvin Arcangel, he said that the association is a recipient of the Service Shared Facility in 2016.
“They were provided with production equipment, and recipients of a series of training and mentorship programs. They were also assisted in packaging and labeling and on promotion, they are always showcased among various trade fairs,” Arcangel said.
The group is also a recipient of the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) which is DOST’s assistance to micro, small and medium enterprises in boosting their production through technological approaches.
Milagros Barroga of the Banglolao Women’s Association said that they are experiencing the long-term impact of the government’s inputs in the production of their chocolates.
“Naragsak kami nga natulongan ta napasantak daytoy association mi. Babaen ti tulong ti DTI ken DOST, dakkel ti tulong na ti panagaramid mi ti cacao. Ket ti arapaap mi kuma, mapa-angat mi pay ket nu adda ti tulong nga maawat mi manen dakkel unay nga yaman mi,” she expressed.
[We are glad for the assistance because we grew our association. Through the assistance of DTI and DOST, we have enhanced our cacao production. We hope to upscale our group thru further assistance that we hope to receive.]
Barroga said that for each cacao tree, they are reaping an average profit of P25,000 in a year. (CAGT-PIA CAR, Abra)
