Participants carefully prepare the base of the midrib basket to ensure its outline and sturdy form.
SAN DIONISIO, Iloilo – “Gapasalamat kami sang oportunidad na ginhatag sa amon makahibalo sang pagubra sang amo ni na produkto. Madamo ang lubi diri sa San Dionisio, pero ang niyog lang ang amon nahibaluan iproseso. Subong maubra na kami basket para makapamaligya kag manegosyo [We are glad of this given opportunity to learn how to make this product. We have a lot of coconut trees here in San Dionisio but we only knew how to process its fruit. Now, we can make a basket to sell to earn a profit],” said Jonny Villegas, one of the seventeen coconut farmers that engaged in the Training on Handicraft Making (Coconut Midrib Basket Making) on August 9-11, 2023 in Sealips.
Cebu-based basket weavers and business owners Cerilo Mondejar of Taroroy's Handicraft Supply and Genaro Basteda of Genaro Native Basket trained two farmer associations in the said municipality. They experienced intensive hands-on training to ensure the learning process of the participants.
DTI Resource Person Airesh Castor supplemented the participant's financial literacy through lectures and workshops on Record Keeping and Marketing, Costing and Pricing, and Simple Cost Analysis.
The training is part of the Coconut Farmers Industry Development Plan (CFIDP) of ATI Region 6 in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). One of the goals of the CFIDP is to promote marginalized coconut farmer entrepreneurship for additional income possibilities.
ATI Region 6 and the implementing agencies of CFIDP continue to work hand in hand to help farmers achieve Masaganang Cocobuhayan.
