The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is encouraging micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to not limit themselves to producing consumer goods and urged them to produce intermediate products that can be integrated into the supply chains of larger companies.

In his speech at the 2024 National MSME Summit in Pasay City on Saturday, DTI Secretary Alfredo Pascual said the agency has developed a business-to-business (B2B) digital system that will enable producers of intermediate products accessible to companies that need their outputs as inputs in the larger companies’ production.
Pascual said DTI continues to assist MSMEs to adopt digitlization.
From January 2023 to March 2024, the DTI onboarded 300,321 MSMEs nationwide in e-commerce. These onboarding efforts include training in social media platforms such as Instagram, Viber, and TikTok marketplaces, to e-marketplaces such as Shopee, Amazon, and Lazada, among others.
Pascual noted the importance of the DTI’s collaboration with private sector partners which provide MSMEs with more platforms and opportunities to showcase their products and enhance their operations through innovative solutions.
Among these partners are industry giants like Jollibee, SM Prime Holdings, Inc., TikTok, and Toyota Motor Philippines Corp.
In his speech in the same event, Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion said the economy cannot grow with big business alone.
“(The economy will grow when we see our micro become small, the small become medium, and the medium become large companies,” said Concepcion.
He said private sector can provide great access to MSMEs because they have the spaces where customers tend to go.
“Big businesses’ role as successful entrepreneurs themselves is to help MSMEs uplift their lives,” Concepcion said.
The DTI has laid down various programs for MSMEs such as training in social media platforms, e-commerce marketplaces to encourage them to adopt digitalization, the One Town, One Product Law which institutionalizes MSME development efforts and provides it a legal framework; a national artificial strategy strategy roadmap which can help MSMEs stay competitive; the enhancement of e-governance systems to help local government units speed up ease of doing business, and a new B2B platform which will make it easier for MSMEs to produce intermediate products that can be integrated into the supply chain of larger companies.
Meanwhile, the DTI said its National Food Fair held July 3 to 7 at SM Megamall generated P57.83 million in combined cash, booked sales, and pending orders for its 233 participating MSMEs.
The food fair attracted 50,000 visitors.