Satellite packaging plant soon within SMEs reach

Acquiring standard product packaging and labeling will no longer be too costly for the small and medium scale entrepreneurs in the Visayas.

Department of Science and Technology regional head Rene Burt Llanto said a satellite Packaging Service and Testing Center will soon be established in Cebu.

This after the Industrial Technology Development Institute's Packaging Research & Development Center has drafted a master plan to establish a "Satellite Packaging Service & Testing Centers" in strategic areas nationwide to fast track packaging assistance outside Metro Manila.

"Traveling expenses acquired by SMEs will soon be cut," Llanto said.

The first of these satellite plants established in Bulacan started operation in December 2005.

Bulacan Governor Josie dela Cruz is convinced that the Toll Packaging Plant and Services will be a big help to the development of SMEs especially in raising product quality systems.

Other than the Satellite Toll Packaging Plants, PRDC currently implements several foreign assisted projects such as the "Development/Improvement of Packaging Systems of Philippine Selected Products in the Regions", funded by JICA.

SMEs underwent the ITDRPC standards prior to the selling of their products usually for export.

Just very recently, the boneless danggit of Bantayan was given packaging standards approval for export.