DAVAO ORIENTAL – Members of the Salingcomot Rural Women’s Association, also known as Salruwa in Barangay Salingcomot, Baganga, Davao Oriental, are thrilled to have acquired the skills of making banana chips, thanks to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). This newfound expertise has added to their livelihood opportunities.
The association, which was established in 2017 with 22 initial members, has now grown to 43 members.
Rotchellin Corteza, one of the members of Salruwa, expressed the importance of this additional skill and the DTI’s training efforts: “To help each other and learn more because DTI has organized various training sessions related to this type of work.”
With the assistance of seven kilograms of bananas, they can produce flavorful banana chips. Each pack is sold at 15 pesos, and if properly sealed, it has a shelf life of three months.
The association’s largest production runs consist of making more than a thousand packs using three large bunches of bananas.
INCOME FOR THE ASSOCIATION
2017 – ₱20,000
2018 – ₱150,000
2019 – ₱180,000
2020 – ₱130,000
2021 – ₱140,000
2022 – ₱161,000
The highest recorded income for the association was ₱180,000 in 2019 since its establishment. The group manages its earnings by distributing the profits among its members, with plans for annual assemblies to share capital and income equitably.
Corteza emphasized the association’s commitment to helping each other and said, “Our plan is to assemble every year, and we divide our income. The gains are then equally shared among our members.”
The association invites other women in Baganga to join Salruwa to learn new livelihood opportunities and increase their sources of income to support their families.
