Amid the current problems of increasing food prices and inefficiencies, a collaboration between the Philippines and Japan is set to strengthen the vegetable value chain that will help farmers and ensure food security and sufficiency in the country.

Department of Agriculture (DA) Senior Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Chief Representative to the Philippines Sakamoto Takema signed on Friday, Dec. 23, the Minutes of the Meeting to Amend the Records of Discussion for the technical cooperation project of DA and JICA on the Market Driven Enhancement of Vegetable Value Chain in the Philippines (MVC2).
According to DA, the project commenced in early 2022 which aims to strengthen the vegetable value chain models in selected municipalities of Benguet and Quezon provinces as well as Metro Manila.
The signed minutes of the meeting contained modifications, including an updated project framework based on the detailed planning survey conducted from August to September.
“With the increasing food prices and inefficiencies in the food supply chain due to high cost of logistics and food distribution, we need to find ways by which we can lower the production costs, deliver goods to the markets, and make it more affordable to the consuming public,” Panganiban said.
The agriculture official noted that the MVC2 project seeks to develop inclusive business models that will contribute to increase the income of vegetable farmers in the country.
“We envision our project to provide solutions to the pressing issues on food value chain, and eventually contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of Filipino farmers,” Sakamoto said on the other hand.
He further explained that the long-withstanding cooperation for agriculture between the Philippines and JICA has focused on the production side of value chain which includes the establishment of agricultural infrastructure programs and irrigation systems.
Sakamoto underscored that the signing of the minutes of the meeting was a "good Christmas gift" to the Philippines.
“This technical cooperation is a testament to this move, as JICA considers that this market-oriented approach is also essential to address the issues related to income generation, job creation, and disparity mitigation among others,” he expressed.
The signing was witnessed by Bureau of Plant Industry OIC-Director Glenn Panganiban, Field Operations Services OIC-Director U-Nichols Manalo, Chief of Special Project Coordination and Management Division Angelita Martir, JICA Senior Representative Shimizu Mikako, and First Secretary for Agriculture of the Embassy of Japan Jumpei Tachikawa.