Bacolod City, Philippines – Farmers in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, and an agricultural cooperative in Zaragosa, Nueva Ecija, have received significant agricultural support from Japan and South Korea. This aid includes farming equipment and agribusiness facilities, aimed at boosting productivity and earnings for local farmers.
According to Philippines News Agency, the support is part of their countries' efforts to enhance agricultural productivity in the Philippines. The Embassy of Japan in Manila reported that on November 18, they turned over farming machinery to sugarcane farmers in Bacolod City. This initiative is part of a PHP314 million Non-Project Grant Aid, one of Japan's official development assistances (ODA) schemes, which includes 80 farm tractors and 48 mechanical planters for sugarcane farmers across the Philippines, including Negros Occidental. This aid is expected to help boost the sugarcane industry in the leading sugar-producing province of the country, meeting growing domestic and international demands.
Similarly, the Korean Embassy in Manila detailed the donation by the Korea Partnership for Innovation of Agriculture (KOPIA) to the Batitang Agricultural Cooperative (BAC) in Zaragosa. The facilities include two greenhouses for seedling nurseries and a 200-square-meter operation building to house the BAC KOPIA Office, storage for farm machines and supplies, and a meeting room. This support, in partnership with the Philippine Rice Research Institute and the local government of Zaragosa, aims to establish the cooperative as a vegetable seedling hub in Zaragosa and its neighboring municipalities in Nueva Ecija.