BUTUAN CITY — Nine agrarian reform beneficiary organizations and ARB-owned enterprises from Agusan del Sur explored advanced packaging, labeling, and branding solutions through a series of benchmarking visits to the FSUU MIRACLE Packaging Innovation Facility in Barangay Libertad, Butuan City, held on October 6, 7, and 8, 2026. The initiative, led by the Department of Trade and Industry Agusan del Sur, introduced farmer-entrepreneurs to high-technology printing and packaging services accessible within the Caraga Region, opening opportunities to improve product presentation and address packaging limitations that affect market competitiveness.
A Facility Built for Small Producers
The FSUU MIRACLE, short for Modern Implementation for Revolutionizing Advanced Cutting-edge Layout and Excellent Printing Solution, is a DTI Shared Service Facility with Father Saturnino Urios University as its cooperator. Launched in July 2026, the ₱150-million facility brings advanced printing and packaging technologies to the region, including packaging design, label development, prototype production, commercial printing, automated die-cutting, and packaging fabrication. It operates as a one-stop printing hub for micro, small, and medium enterprises across Caraga and the rest of Mindanao.
What the Benchmarking Visits Covered
The visits were conducted in three batches. On October 6, NGPI MPC and the San Josefa Unified Calamansi Farmers Agrarian Reform Cooperative joined. October 7 brought Milis Agri Products, the San Josefa Agriculture Cooperative, and FASRMCO. The final batch on October 8 included LTM Food Products, SALADAC, MAMPC, and FPPI MPC. Participants toured the facility, examined product samples, and discussed minimum order quantities, pricing, and production costs, helping them identify packaging solutions suited to their products, production volumes, and budgets.
Flexibility for Microentrepreneurs
Among the participants, Lucema Monte of LTM Food Products expressed excitement upon discovering that such advanced packaging services are accessible within the neighboring province. She particularly appreciated the facility's flexibility in accommodating smaller production volumes, noting that orders of around 500 to 1,000 pieces could make professionally designed packaging more attainable for microentrepreneurs. Her experience highlighted how access to regional packaging facilities can help small-scale ARB enterprises pursue competitive product presentation without requiring large-volume production.
Strengthening Agrarian Reform Enterprises
For DTI-CARP Agusan del Sur, the initiative reinforces its continuing commitment to strengthen the competitiveness of agrarian reform products by connecting farmer-entrepreneurs with accessible innovation facilities and market-oriented technical services. Through this linkage, the agency continues to support ARB enterprises in transforming locally produced goods into more market-ready products, building stronger brands, and pursuing opportunities in domestic and international markets.
