The Department of Science and Technology’s (DoST) Collaborative Research and Development to Leverage Philippine Economy (Cradle) program will help the Philippines attain food security.
Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña said the program also aims to prolong the shelf life of agricultural products.
He cited the successful partnership of the Batangas Egg Producers Cooperative (BEPCO) and University of the Philippines Diliman that solved the oversupply of eggs in Batangas.
Under Cradle, the academe partners with Filipino private companies to formulate innovative solutions for agriculture.
“[The Cradle program] will add value to our products. It will also prolong the shelf life. On food security, BEPCO was able to prolong the shelf life of eggs. Transporting products was also convenient,” he said.
Through research and development, BEPCO was able to produce egg powder from low value eggs.
De la Peña said that under Cradle, companies will identify their preferred partner university.
“So far, we have around 125 to 130 proposals received and in the process of evaluation. But our money for this year will only be good for 25 projects only,” he said.
To help local companies adapt to the new normal, the DoST launched the Cradle Challenge 2020,
DoST said Cradle Challenge 2020 seeks to identify technologies and innovative solutions that can define the new normal for business processes while taking into account potential long-term behavioral challenges in the market as well as shifts and restrictions in the value chain and logistics.
“The developed research outputs are aimed to advance the innovativeness and competitiveness of local Filipino companies and ultimately help jumpstart the Philippine economy,” said DoST.
