The six National Priority Industry Clusters of the Department of Trade and Industry – Regional Operations Group (DTI-ROG) surpassed its 2015 annual targets for investments by 157% and domestic sales by 177% by posting a total of P3.317 billion of investments and P4.532 billion domestic sales.

 

Likewise, it also surpassed its 2015 targets for jobs generated by 139%, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) created and assisted by 110% and 157%, respectively.

 

The National Priority Industry Clusters are composed of Rubber, Coco Coir, Cacao, Processed Food (Fruits and Nuts), Wearables and Homestyle (formerly Tourism Support Industries), and Coffee. The Industry Clustering Development Program is an enshrined strategy for small and medium enterprise development in specific (sub) sectors in the Philippine Development Plan 2011 to 2016. The strategy is leveraging on the value chain model to support the dominant and emerging industries/subsectors that demonstrate market and income potential.

 

The performance for the National Priority Industry Clusters have supported the creation of 67,110 jobs all over the country, and assisted 13,573 MSMEs. The National Priority Industry Clusters also provided a total of 1,228 trainings to 26,422 trained beneficiaries.

 

Wearables and Homestyle, cacao and rubber, meanwhile, accounted for the bulk of investments influx recorded at 55%, 19% and 16%, respectively.

 

Posting the highest job generation for 2015 was Wearables and Homestyle with 21,072 and has assisted 7,958 MSMEs, followed by Cacao with 11,794 jobs generated and 1,154 MSMEs assisted, Coffee with 9,908 jobs generated and 635 MSMEs assisted, Processed Food (Fruits and Nuts) with 8,923 jobs generated and 2,586 MSMEs assisted, Rubber with 8,253 jobs generated and 782 MSMEs assisted, and Coco Coir with 7,160 jobs generated and 458 MSMEs assisted.

 

The DTI also developed action plans for the 6 Priority National Industry Clusters rubber, coco coir, coffee, cacao, processed fruits & nuts, and wearables and homestyle, and implemented two industry roadmaps for rubber and coco coir industries.

 

In promoting and fostering for industry development in the country, the Department of Trade and Industry has adopted the market-driven Industry Cluster Development Strategy through the Value Chain Development Approach, which seeks to strengthen the whole systems: enterprises, business relationships, market structures, and business environment, so that the benefits of the industries be increased and shared.

 

For 2016, DTI added Bamboo Cluster in the National Priority Industry Clusters.