The Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-I provided P425,000 worth of aid to Payas Rice Mill in La Union to purchase a rice huller machine that would boost its production and sales.
DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña said the DOST-I through its Provincial Science and Technology Center-La Union (PSTC-LU), awarded the assistance to Payas Rice Mill as part of its Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) project entitled “Technology Upgrading of a Grains Post-harvest Facility”.
“The amount will be used to acquire a rice huller machine that intends to increase the volume production and sales of Payas Rice Mill by at least 25 percent,” he said in a report.
“It also aims to increase the establishment’s productivity by 17 percent,” he added.
De la Peña said the SETUP program provides micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) access to funds to procure hardware and software for technology upgrading with a repayment scheme covering three years with a one-year grace period before the start of the repayment.
SETUP is one of the flagship programs of DOST. It is the agency’s nationwide strategy to encourage and assist MSMEs to adopt technological innovations to improve their operations and thus boost their productivity and competitiveness.
The priority sectors of the program are Food processing, Furniture, Gifts, housewares, decors, Agriculture/Marine/Aquaculture, Metals and engineering, and Others (including information and communications technology (ICT), pharmaceuticals and health products).
SETUP provides access to innovative technologies and free technical advisory for MSMEs to increase their sales and production output, streamline and improve overall company operations, upgrade the quality of products and services, conform to national and international regulatory and market standards, and widen market reach.