Members of the Indigenous Peoples (IP) community in Barangay Pinamihagan in San Jose, Romblon, are leaving their manual way of processing their corn and cassava harvest.
The group is now turning to mechanized processing after the Department of Science and Technology MIMAROPA, through its Romblon Provincial Office, gave them a machine that mechanized their corn and cassava processing.
For so long, it has been a toil for the IPs to pound their harvest manually.
According to Dianela Vicente, chieftain of Ati Tribe in Brgy. Pinamihagan, these laborious processes add to the difficulty of their everyday survival.
“Malaking tulong po sa aming mga IPs itong project ng DOST kasi iyong aming mga ani ay pwedeng i-process para makagawa ng ibang produkto gaya ng suman. Masaya kami dahil ang mga ani namin ay pwedeng pagkakitaan sa ibang paraan,” Vicente said.
The IP community received a corn milling machine, cassava pulverizer, and platform weighing scale. All IPs could use this for free in the area provided by the Baranggay Local Government Unit of Pinamihagan.
“Initial packaging tools and supplies such as electric sack sewing machines and sacks were also provided to encourage selling from mass production,” Provincial Science and Technology Director Lina Servañez said.
