Marcos eyes scaled-up manufacturing, production for small businesses

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday expressed his intention to scale up the manufacturing and production processes for small businesses as he visited Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan. Accompanied by Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr., Marcos inspected Nutridense Food Manufacturing Corporation (NFMC), a small business supported by government resources. NFMC is a micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) that is supported by the government and is a technology-driven food manufacturing hub. Addressing local reporters, Marcos said that the government had supported the NFMC in its development through research and development (R&D). “Now, one of the biggest problems we face is, we have a lot of great scientists, a lot of researchers, but from the laboratory to manufacturing, the scaling up of the production, that is what needs to be studied,” the President said. He added, “And that is what is happening here. They have, together with the R&D, of course, the formula of the actual products, and the manufacturing process also has to be taught.” Marcos said the government is also assisting the NFMC for additional machines to increase production. NFMC is not just manufacturing food but making nutritious food, the President explained. The food manufacturer is supported by the DOST’s Small Enterprises Technology Upgrading Program and DOST–Food and Nutrition Research Institute. While in Pangasinan, Marcos also inspected the implementation of the Department of Education’s School-Based Feeding Program at the Sta. Barbara Central School. This included 50 severely undernourished learners, according to the Presidential Communications Office. A Program at Yaman ng Kalusugan at Kalinga Caravan also served around 200 learners, parents, and teachers, who were given access to free medical consultations, dental checkups, medicine, and more. —Jean Mangaluz/RF, GMA News