The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in the Mimaropa region recently trained about 18 members of an Indigenous People (IPs) community in the town of San Jose, Romblon, on value-added production.
The training focused on sweet potato and corn powder production, enabling participants to produce cassava, corn, and sweet potato powders. This initiative equipped the San Jose IPs with essential skills and knowledge to add more value to locally available commodities like corn, cassava, and sweet potato.
Cassava, corn, and sweet potato powders are major raw materials for the production of popular desserts such as maja blanca, puto, and leche flan.
As part of the program, the department also provided the group of IPs with a corn milling machine and a cassava pulverizer to support their value-added production efforts.
According to DOST Mimaropa, this initiative marks a significant step in empowering the IP community in Romblon by optimizing the utilization of available resources and equipment.