LEGAZPI CITY — The Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) office in Bicol recently turned over to a state college and a state university in the region PHP23-million worth of Grants-in-Aid (GIA) projects to be carried out over three years.
Dr. Pelita Lucena, DOST-Bicol spokesperson, said in an interview on Friday that the Sorsogon State College (SSC) and the Catanduanes State University (CSU) have received PHP15 million and PHP8 million, respectively, from the department.
“The SSC PHP15-million project would be used for ‘Crabmeat Processing and Canning Facility’ that is designed to provide value-adding technologies to maximize economic gain by direct beneficiaries, such as crabbers, crabmeat processors, crab pickers, food-based micro, small and medium enterprises, and college students as well, while the PHP8-million project for CSU will be used for the ‘Abaca Technology Innovation Center’ (ATIC),” Lucena said.
New variants and market-driven crabmeat and innovative crab-based products will be developed in the center, along with proper packaging and labeling.
Aside from crabmeat, crab shells and other residue materials will be processed for maximum utilization and to practice zero waste disposal, Lucena noted.
The center shall serve as a technology hub for the direct beneficiaries and college students, who can be trained on enterprise development, while the ATIC shall serve as research and development facility for abaca product development and value-adding.
Lucena said the ATIC will have three technology hubs – one for screening the phytochemical components of abaca stripping refuse parts; another for fabricating an abaca drying dome and improving the abaca stripping machine to produce better fiber quality; and the third for developing an abaca information system through geo-tagging and global positioning system.
“The project will benefit the researchers, industry players and stakeholders engaged in abaca production and processing in terms of improved technologies and applications and create more investment opportunities in the province of Catanduanes,” she added. (Connie Calipay/PNA)
