ZAMBOANGA CITY – Beneficiaries of the DOLE-assisted Project HOPE (Helping Others Prosper Economically) Agricultural Cooperative (PHAC) showcased various “Chilicious” Chili products at the Kadiwa on Wheels Mobile Market and Cosechas de Zamboanga from September 4 to October 23, 2020.

Both activities were joint initiatives of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Local Government Unit of Zamboanga City through the Office of the City Agriculturist which aims to help local growers and farmers showcase and market their products to the buying public.

Regional Director Atty Roy L. Buenafe shared that encouraging PHAC to join such product expositions widen the beneficiaries’ understanding of how to market their products and gain more sales.

During both exhibits, the Project HOPE booth sold Chilicious Products such as the Chili Garlic Crunch, Chili Sauce, Chili Paste, Vinagre Special (Sukang Pinakurat) and various fast crops such as Pechay Tanglad, Kangkong, Malunggay, Mustasa, Sili Labuyo and F1.

Ma. Zanelfa D. Bustillo, PHAC member said, “Naging maganda po ang aming experience sa pagsali sa Cosechas at Kadiwa dahil nakapagbenta po kami ng maraming produkto sa mga mamimili. (We had a wonderful experience in our participation at Cosechas and Kadiwa because we were able to sell a lot of our products to customers).”

Another member who manned the booth, Rossana Recaña, added, “Mainit po ang pagtanggap ng mga mamimili sa Chilicious kaya mas ginanahan po kami magbenta. Nagpapasalamat po kame sa DOLE sa suporta nila sa lahat ng mga ginagawa naming sa cooperatiba. (The customers warmly embraced Chilicious products which made us more eager to sell. We thank DOLE for the support in all the activities of the cooperative).”

Director Buenafe added that hopefully there will be more opportunities for PHAC to expose their products to the market. With the on-going improvements at the Project HOPE Demo Farm, the public is set to see diverse product offerings from the cooperative in the days to come.

Project HOPE is a holistic intervention and initiative of the DOLE Regional Office 9 for the displaced workers and their dependents of the fishing and canning industry affected by the annual closed fishing season (December to February) by providing livelihood, emergency employment and skills training. END