The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) reaffirm their commitment to continue partnerships for food security and sustainable development in the Philippines.
On September 21, 2022, DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban and JICA Philippine Office Chief Representative Sakamoto Takema discussed the agencies’ development plans and priorities and possible collaborations in the agriculture sector.
Sakamoto metioned the continuation of partnerships in terms of infrastructure development for production improvement including irrigations systems, capacity development of counterparts, and food value chain or other post-harvest/agro-industry development through research innovation, SMEs promotion, and public-private partnership, among others.
On the other hand, Undersecretary Panganiban extended his appreciation to the Japanese Government through the JICA for the grant assistance provided to the DA for the “Market-Driven Enhancement of Vegetable Value Chain in the Philippines” technical cooperation project.
The five-year project being implemented by the DA-Agribusiness and Marketing Service (AMAS) aims at enhancing the productivity and income of the farmer-beneficiaries through the development of inclusive business models within the vegetable value chain. ### (photos by Alan Jay Jacalan, DA-AFID)
