An agricultural mechanization center that will increase agricultural productivity of farmers will be established in Nueva Ecija with the help of the South Korean Embassy in the Philippines.
The implementation of the $5.78-million Agricultural Machinery Design and Prototyping Center (AMPDC) at the PHilMech compound begins following the groundbreaking ceremony on May 25.
According to the embassy, the center will accelerate mechanization in the agricultural sector by enhancing local technological capacity to design, develop and manufacture agricultural machineries.
"The Republic of Korea supports the Philippines’ agricultural technological innovation including R&D (research and development) that can help increase agricultural productivity and generate higher incomes for Filipino farmers," the South Korean Embassy said Friday, May 27.
The center's establishment is also "part of Korea's efforts to build a stronger academic partnership between Korea and the Philippines."
The grant project (2021-2027) includes the establishment of the AMPDC, development of new agricultural machinery technologies and prototypes, dispatch of Korean experts, and providing capacity building to PHilMech and technicians.
It is under the partnership of Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (DA-PHilMech), the Korean Embassy, and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
"In the end, it aims for farmers to have better access to quality and more affordable agricultural machineries which are locally manufactured," KOICA stated.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, KOICA Country Director Kim Eunsub signified Korea’s commitment to continuously support the agriculture sector of the Philippines as agriculture and rural development is one of the priority sectors of KOICA in the country.
PHilMech Executive Director Dionisio Alvindia expressed hope for further collaboration as he welcomed the Korean officials and stressed that the Department of Agriculture recognizes the strong support of KOICA.