The Department of Trade and Industry – Agusan del Norte (DTI-AdN) and UP Mindanao agreed to collaborate and celebrate their shared commitment to promote innovation, education, and inclusive economic growth through the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for “CocoSense: Product Enhancement” Project on July 11, 2025, at UP Mindanao.
DTI-AdN, an implementing agency of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP), conceived the Cocosense Product Enhancement Project, which needs intensive food sensory evaluation for its participating medium, small, and micro-enterprises (MSME).
For this purpose, DTi-AdN invited the UP Mindanao Department of Food Science and Chemistry (DFSC) to provide capacity-building activities related to food safety, quality assurance, and food sensory analysis for participating coconut-based MSMEs. The DFSC will address these needs and furthermore assist in sensory evaluation tests and interpretation of data. The department will also conduct a post-capacity building assessment to gauge the performance of the MSMEs.
DTI-Agusan del Norte Provincial Director Ms. Lorijane D. Sacote and UP Mindanao Chancellor Lyre Anni E. Murao signed the MOA on behalf of their institutions. Senior Trade & Industry Specialist and AdN Coconut Industry Cluster Account Officer Valentina Rose O. Sagrado and CFIDP Technical Officer/Program Coordinator Anessa M. Tiburon served as witnesses for DTI-AdN.
The UP Mindanao DFSC was represented by its Department Chairperson, Prof. Noreen Grace V. Fundador, Associate Prof. Dann Marie N. Del Mundo, Assistant Prof. Rovi Gem V. Gayagas, Instructor Meluzvia Marie Amora, University Research Associate Nikki Jane C. Jain, and Junior Research Assistant Maria Althea I. Pal. Chief Researcher Dr. Melvin S. Pasaporte and Budweiser Castana represented the Technology Transfer & Business Development Office.
“With this memorandum, we are adopting a whole-of-nation approach,” said Director Sacote. “And recognizing our limitations in product enhancement, particularly in food sensory evaluation, being connected to the expertise of the UP Mindanao Department of Food Science and Chemistry is ideal to address these challenges and improve our industries’ competitiveness,” she said.
“This is a very welcome opportunity, it’s important, especially for our farmers,” said Chancellor Murao. “It’s very timely because we had a graduation, and this is another message from the university. As we produce graduates, we expand the impact of the university. We have our experts here, and we don’t want our knowledge to be boxed and remain on the shelves. We want it to be used and hopefully bring a rich harvest for your coconut farmers,” she said.
Read the DTI-AdN post [here].