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Filipino rice farmers in Laguna province. Photo by Organic[/caption]
SCIENCE CITY OF MUÑOZ: Korean and Filipino agriculture officials and stakeholders formally marked the conclusion of a four-year quality rice seed production and capacity-building project
during a ceremony on May 2.
Reinforced by funding from the Korean Government through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the Philippines Department of Agriculture, Philippine Rice Research Institute and the Bureau of Plant Industry have implemented various projects to build capacity in seed production and certification in the Philippines.
Among the KOIC’s seed investment highlights in the Philippines is a $2 million rice seed processing facility,
which opened in December, 2016 in Munoz.
Equipped with separators, dryers, screens and automatic bagging functions, the new facility has a seed processing capacity of 2 tons per hour, which will enable the institute to cut its seed processing time in half.
Also part of the project, from 2013-2016, 32 tons of certified inbred seeds (OP) were distributed to more than 400 farmers in Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija, complemented by training provided for local project implementers, seed analysts, inspectors, seed growers and farmers.
The KOIC has contributed tens of thousands of dollars to the Philippines in annual aid and particularly towards the training and development of facilities aimed at boosting the Philippines agriculture sector.
Over the last decade, KOIC funds have also been used to
build several Rice Processing Complexes (RPC) in the Philippines, which are located in Iloilo, Pangasinan, Bohol and Davao del Sur.
Regionally, Philippines is South Korea’s second largest recipient of agriculture, infrastructure and resource development aid,
behind only Vietnam.
In a related news, South Korea and the Philippines were ranked in the World Bank’s “Access to Agriculture 2017” report as the
top two Asian countries for seed regulation.
The 23rd Asian Seed Congress was held November 7-11, 2016 in Incheon, South Korea and the 24th edition will be held November 13-17, 2017 in Manila, Philippines.
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