Japan donates post-harvest facilities to RP farmers

MANILA, Philippines - The Japanese government has donated P2.1 million worth of post-harvest facilities to help promote organic palay farming in Western Visayas.

Agriculture Undersecretary and chief of staff Bernie Fondevilla said the post-harvest facilities are located in Barangay Salngan in Passi City, Iloilo. They are expected to benefit 108 marginal farmers and their families by increasing organic palay production and promoting rice-based enterprises.

Funded under Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects, the facilities were formally turned over by Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Makato Katsura in recent ceremonies held in Iloilo.

Japan also turned over to Iloilo farmers 6,000 metric tons of ammonium sulfate fertilizers, which form part of the P253-million (480 million yen) worth of fertilizers totaling 26,135 metric tons donated by Tokyo to Manila for farmers in five regions.

The fertilizer donation was done through the 31st Japan Grant Assistance for Underprivileged Farmers Program, formerly known as 2KR or Japan’s Increased Food Production Program.

The donations were turned over by the Japanese government to the Arroyo administration through the Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural and Fishery Council (NAFC), which is headed by Fondevilla.

Farmers with landholdings of two hectares and below in 14 provinces in five regions selected by the DA are the target-beneficiaries of the 2KR program, Fondevilla said.

“The target users of the fertilizer are palay farmers who are using certified seeds and good seeds in areas covered by the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (Rice Program) in Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao and the Davao Region,” Fondevilla said.