THE Department of Science and Technology (DoST) sees local enterprises utilizing appropriate technologies gaining the capability to export their products.

Science Secretary Renato Solidum emphasized this during a visit to Tarlac last January 27 where two beneficiaries of the agency's Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (Setup) are located: Golden Crown Petals and Herbs (GCPH) and I-Provide Health Food Manufacturing.

GCPH is a manufacturer and exporter of edible handmade sugar gumpaste flowers for cake decorations, royal icing products for cupcakes and edible wafer decorations. I-Provide Health Food Manufacturing meanwhile makes food supplements.

Setup enables micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to avail of technological innovations that can elevate their businesses from kitchen-scale to world-class enterprises.

'Our MSMEs have the capacity to become world class, which is why we always emphasize the importance of science and technology in our programs. With science and technology, businesses will surely prosper,' Solidum said.

The DoST office in Region 3 (Central Luzon) has also allotted P7.4 million in assistance to seven MSMEs with operations in San Fernando, Pampanga to acquire production technologies to upgrade their operations. These are Happy Huts Pizza House, Bakeology Products Manufacturing, Ajee Food Products, Fiona's Farm, RDJDC Enterprise, Sarmiento Metal Craft, and Inang Enyang's Eleven Fourteen Sweet Candies.

Setup, one of the flagship programs of the DoST, is a nationwide strategy to encourage and assist enterprises to adopt technological innovations. It aims to provide access to equipment and technical assistance to enable MSMEs to increase sales and production, streamline and improve overall company operations, upgrade the quality of products and services, conform to national and international standards of excellence, and be competitive in their respective industries.