Small and medium enterprises in Negros Occidental are aiming to increase their total sales by 10 percent in 2010, the Provincial SME Development Plan shows.

The figure is based on the national indicator of 130 percent increase in sales by 2010, from priority sectors as well as services, tourism, education, health and outsourcing sectors.

The local goal is under the “Access to Market” aspect of the SME Plan which has existing programs and projects being implemented to meet the projected figure.

These include: participation in trade fairs, which involves assistance to member-producers in local and national fairs; skills technical, managerial, productivity and marketing trainings, particularly techno-transfer trainings in creativity enhancement, pricing, costing, among others;

Technology upgrading, specifically for equipment through a program of the Department of Science and Technology; product development clinics, on the improvement of existing products in terms of product design, quality, raw material utilization, to enhance marketability;

Market matching and linkaging, by providing market information and trade opportunities to producers; buying and selling missions, through organizing and assisting local producers in offering their products to identified buyers; and financial assistance programs to members for marketing development, by providing financial package like Purchase Order-Financing.

Aside from Access to Markets, other aspects included in the SME Plan are Business and Investment Enabling Environment, Access to Finance and Productivity and Efficiency.

The formulation of the Provincial SME Development Plan is under the Harmonization of the National SME Development Plan component of the German Technical Cooperation-SME Development for Sustainable Employment Program assistance to the Department of Trade Industry, which implements an SME development program in Western Visayas.*NLG

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