TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (May 23)—Taking off from the design direction of product development last year which focused on culture-oriented and tradition-based approach, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Region 2 through its One Town One Product (Otop) Next Generation (NexGen) program conducted information sessions for the 2021 food and non-food beneficiaries of the program via Zoom on May 18.
This session was the first phase of the intervention of the product development program which aimed to capacitate and upgrade the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in terms of product label requirements, brand development, and product DTI design trends in the global market.
It also provided the participants an orientation on the results of the cultural mapping conducted last year.
In his message, Ruben Diciano, DTI-Region 2 assistant regional director, said the design direction is geared towards developing unique products that are intertwined with the Cagayan Valley culture.
He also said economic development and culture complement each other and that culture may serve as a fuel to keep the development burning to extreme extents.
“Incorporating the culture of the valley in our respective crafts is a strategic move to create a quaint identity that makes them stand out among the rest,” Diciano said.
Richard Siuagan, Senior Trade and Industry Development Specialist (STIDS)-Otop product development officer, gave an introduction to the culture-oriented and tradition-based product development and an overview of activities for the Otop Next Gen Intensive Product Development for 2021 while Sheryl Usares, Ritepack Consultant for food, discussed the Mandatory Packaging and Labeling Requirements for packed processed foods and gave an introduction to branding.
Paul Henry Abad, Ritepack-Senior Designer for food, presented the design and latest trends for packaging with his three design direction keywords such as the Supercharged Simplicity, Rerooted Nature and Awestruck.
Jefferson De Jesus, Ritepack-Senior Designer for non-food, also presented the design and latest trends in wearables and homestyle with his keywords to consider on trends such as Sustainability, Flexi-Home, Self Reliance, Outside in/Inside out, Travel Bug, Well Being, and Spark Joy.
Ragel Tacazon, STIDS- DTI Regional Food Development Officer, discussed the Sensory Evaluation as a means for Product Improvement and also introduced the tapped food technologists for this year’s product development activity.
In her closing message, Leovilda Tumaliuan, Chief-Small and Medium Enterprise Development Division, gave a recap of the activity and said the importance of a design direction that incorporates the culture and traditions of the region to establish a brand.
Tumaliuan also emphasized the need for a strong commitment of MSMEs to maximize the project in developing and improving their products.
The activity was participated by a total of 87 participants: 57 from the food sector MSMEs and 30 from non-food MSMEs.
The conduct of this session was in preparation for the succeeding phases of the Product development which are the one-on-one consultation of MSMEs, product design execution, and monitoring. (PR)