On June 28, Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhiko signed the grant contract for the second phase of the “Safe Vegetable Production Technology Dissemination and Vegetable Distribution System Improvement Project” with Japanese non-governmental organization (NGO), The Japan Agricultural Exchange Council (JAEC).

The grant amounting to $513,716 (approximately P27.51 million) is funded under the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects.

The project, initiated in March 2021, is in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, Provincial Governments and Local Government Units in Luzon. It aims to disseminate the technology of applying charcoal, wood vinegar, and compost produced by locally available materials in vegetable fields, to reduce production costs securing more income for farmers.

The project also intends to improve vegetable distribution process.

The Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects started in the Philippines in 2002. Since then, the Japanese Government has made contracts for 58 projects in the Philippines under this scheme, amounting to approximately 1.62 billion yen (approximately P 642.65 million) in total.

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. Japan Information and Cultural Center