SURIGAO CITY — Members of the Rural Improvement Club Producers Cooperative (RICPROCO) in Barangay Capalayan completed a specialized training on business continuity planning, equipping them with strategies to protect their agricultural enterprises from crises such as fuel shortages and typhoons. The session was spearheaded by the Department of Trade and Industry's Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (DTI-CARP) and led by Ninebeth R. Balighot from the DTI Surigao del Norte Provincial Office. The workshop introduced participants to the core principles of business continuity planning, essentially providing them with a survival blueprint to keep their operations running when disaster strikes.
Hands-On Training for Real-World Threats
To translate theory into practice, the cooperative members split into two specialized working groups, each tackling the specific threats facing their daily operations. The first group, which manages the cooperative's rice milling operations, focused on the immediate threat of an oil crisis, mapping out the ripple effects of sudden fuel shortages and designing practical strategies to handle supply interruptions without halting production. The second group, representing the vermicast (worm-compost) fertilizer production, tackled the threat of severe weather, assessing how high winds and heavy rains impact their production facilities and supply chains.
From Survival to Active Readiness
By presenting their final strategies to one another, the cooperative members demonstrated a strong, practical grasp of risk assessment. The training successfully shifted the participants' focus from mere survival to active readiness, leaving them far better equipped to withstand economic and environmental shocks. The initiative extends beyond a one-day workshop, as cooperative members will now use their drafts to finalize detailed, and customized continuity plans for their businesses. To ensure these strategies are successfully put into practice, DTI-CARP has committed to providing ongoing technical assistance and one-on-one mentoring as the entrepreneurs build long-term resilience.
