Suman now a booming business in Naval, Biliran with P1.3M sales

November 28th, 2011

Leyte Samar Daily Express

PALO, Leyte – Suman, a local Filipino dish of sticky rice is now a booming business venture in Naval, Biliran with producers posting P1.3 million domestic sales gains this year following government’s converged efforts to improve the product.

Since March 2011, at least 27 suman producers have been assisted under the Rural Micro-Enterprise Promotion Programme (RuMEPP) through skills training, product development, enterprise management, business registration facilitation.

“With more demand for this product, a total of P1.23 million investments have been generated this year and created 43 direct employment in the community,” said Department of Trade and Industry Biliran provincial director Celerina T. Bato.

The traditional food made from sticky rice wrapped in 100% natural biodegradable leaves is the One Town-One Product (OTOP) of Biliran’s capital town. The local government’s adoption to Local and Regional Economic Development (LRED) approach paved the way for more favorable business environment in food processing.

“Maintaining the customary primary packaging particularly the use of anahaw leaves made it distinctly the Suman of Naval unconsciously emphasizing the eco-friendliness of the business venture,” Bato said in a media interaction at the DTI regional office here.

She claimed that higher income and indirect jobs have also been generated from the operators along the value chain as demand for inputs for suman processing such as sticky rice, coconut, ginger, anahaw leaves and wood chippings as fuel, increased.

“This product can be at par if not compete with the other famous OTOP products in the domestic product with the convergence of government assistance, coupled with an aggressive core of suman producers, reliable raw material supply, and support of local government unit (LGU),” Bato claimed.

Naval’s suman producers have participated in OTOP Visayas Island Fair in Cebu City, International Food Exhibition Philippines 2011 at SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, and OTOP National Expo 2011 in SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

Recognizing the product as a delicacy, the first “Suman Festival” was celebrated in Naval in time of the town’s Pueblo Day Celebration last September 2010.

Recently, the producers have applied for P621,180 funding from the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) for the acquisition of tools and equipments and raw materials for the individual members of the association. The Naval LGU will counterpart 25% of the total amount to be granted by DoLE.

The project funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), applies the approach introduced by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). The initiative is a joint undertaking of DTI, Department of Science and Technology, DoLE, and LGU-Naval. (SARWELL Q. MENIANO)

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