MANILA, Philippines – The Japanese government, represented by Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koshikawa Kazuhiko, signed on March 14 a PHP14.48 million grant to help commercialize strawberry farming in a village in Barangay Patag, Silay City, Negros Occidental.
The project, titled “Commercialization of Japanese Quality Strawberry and Promotion of Agri-Tourism in Highland” will be overseen and implemented by the Japanese non-government organization (NGO) “Ikaw at Ako”.
The USD 277,455 (approximately 14.48 million pesos) total grant amount of the project will be funded under the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects.
The funding is under the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects, which started in the Philippines in 2002, and has produced 57 projects in the country since then amounting to a total of approximately PHP676.95 million as of date.
This current project aims to empower the residents of Barangay Patag by having income options through the use of Japan’s strawberry cultivation technology and through application of expertise in the operation of farms focusing on agri-tourism.
The embassy stated, “Japan believes that this project will not only strengthen the friendship between the peoples of the Philippines and Japan but also bolster the existing strategic partnership between the two countries.”
Source: Philippine News Agency, GMA News