ILOILO City – The Korean Embassy in the Philippines’ First Secretary Lee Jeoung Bin recently visited the Western Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center (WESVIARC) in Barangay Hamungaya, Jaro district.
This is to oversee the progress made, as per the Department of Agriculture (DA) Western Visayas data, in the P65 million Smart Greenhouse and Capacity Building Project located in the 3,000-square-meter project area, consisting of 10 greenhouses with six dedicated to mushroom cultivation and four to tomatoes and paprika.
“This initiative showcases good agricultural practices and organic crop production technologies, contributing to the Philippines’ food safety goals,” noted Lee.
The Official Development Assistance supports the smart greenhouse project of the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion, and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (EPIS), which aims to incorporate advanced technology and capacity-building initiatives to enhance sustainable practices in food, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries in the Philippines.
The EPIS smart greenhouse is a Korean-style climate-proof and mechanized facility that has the potential to address climate change concerns by offering innovative solutions in agriculture.
Launched in March 2022 and scheduled until December this year, the project served as a testament to the enduring friendship between the Philippines and the Korean government.
With the ability to produce off-season crops nearly year-round, the project is seen as a self-sufficiency measure for the country, according to the DA.
Lee further emphasized that the goal of her visit was to gain a comprehensive understanding of all Korean government projects and to grasp the ongoing developments at the project site.
Some of the plans for the project include research initiatives, the sale of fully colonized mushroom fruiting bags, processing Shitake mushrooms, adopting the pick-and-pay concept, displaying about-to-be-harvested Shitake fruiting bags in malls, exploring other high-value commodities, and securing funds for solar energy for the mushroom greenhouse.
“This collaborative effort signifies a crucial step towards fostering sustainable agricultural practices and knowledge exchange between Korea and the Philippines,” Lee added.
The initiative is funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs of the Republic of Korea, fully managed by EPIS, and implemented by Hankyong National University. (PIA)/PN
