THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will open Tuesday, December 12, the Negosyo Center in Hinoba-an town, positioned to boost the southern Negros municipality’s current industries like tuna and shell craft production.
Gerin Vergara, senior trade and industry development specialist and focal person of Negosyo Centers in the province, Monday said many enterprises in the town are into catching and selling of seafood products, mainly tuna.
However, lack value-adding and “this will be addressed by the Negosyo Center,” she said.
Vergara said the DTI, through the center, will provide entrepreneurship trainings, including value-adding and product development activities geared toward boosting local enterprises.
“The Negosyo Center will also work on providing small businesses the needed market accessibility through various linkaging interventions,” she added.
Hinoba-an, the southernmost locality of Negros Occidental, is also rich in other marine resources. Entrepreneurs, especially those in coastal communities, are into shellcraft production.
The Negosyo Center will also help develop this potential sector of Hinoba-an, Vergara said.
The Negosyo Center situated at Barangay 1 is the 15th facility established in the province since 2015.
The Municipal Government of Hinoba-an provided the area and structure while the DTI takes charge of the refurbishing, basic equipment, and training component
The establishment of Negosyo Centers is provided under the Republic Act (RA) 10644, or the Go Negosyo Act. It provides micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) the ease of doing business, and facilitates access to grants and other forms of financial assistance, and shared service facilities (SSF), among others.
For this year, six other Negosyo Centers were opened in La Castellana, Cauayan, E.B. Magalona, Himamaylan, Bago City and Sipalay City.
In 2016, the eighth Negosyo Center in the province was unveiled in Hinigaran town. Others that opened last year are those in the cities of Bacolod, San Carlos, Victorias, and La Carlota.
The Negros First Negosyo Center at the Provincial Capitol Complex in Bacolod City was opened in 2015 along with those in the cities of Kabankalan and Sagay.
Vergara said that aside from entrepreneurship development interventions, the Negosyo Center will also provide business name registration service to MSMEs at the town.
Entrepreneurs will no longer go to Bacolod City to process the registration of their businesses, Vergara said.
“One of the ultimate goals of the Negosyo Center is bringing the services of the government closer to the people,” she added.
