Sariaya, Quezon
November 29, 2024
Ushering a new chapter in the Philippines’ agriculture sector rooted in partnership, driven by innovation and aimed at achieving food security, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. formally turned over the Korea Partnership for Innovation of Agriculture (KOPIA) Greenhouses and Postharvest Facilities to the farmer-beneficiaries in Lucban, Quezon.
“Against this backdrop, these greenhouses and postharvest facilities turned over to us today hold more meaning. These facilities help our small communities improve their capacity to export their products. Through continuous collaboration, soon, they will be part of the regional value chain. We celebrate this success as a testament to the enduring relations between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea,” President Marcos Jr. said in his keynote message.
He lauded the KOPIA Philippines Center and the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI) for collaborating on a project that enabled farmers to grow, adapt and succeed in an increasingly competitive landscape. At present, 20 greenhouses have been established across pilot villages in Lucban, Quezon; Siniloan, Laguna and Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija.
“These greenhouses are hubs of fresh vegetable and very importantly seedling production – complemented by three postharvest facilities, advanced machineries all designed to reduce the burden of our farmers and increase profitability…In Lucban alone, nine greenhouses, a seedling nursery, a postharvest facility now are here – modern tools to boost the potential of more than 2,000 farmers, technicians, and their families, and their communities,” the President cited.
He noted KOPIA’s emphasis on community empowerment and innovations tailored to local conditions as key factors in the farmers’ mastery of new technologies, resulting in the production of high-quality vegetables that can meet international standards.
“Regular training sessions have equipped our farmers and local leaders with the knowledge and expertise to improve skills, to be able to adopt new practices, to increase their yields and incomes. Study tours to Korea have broadened the horizons of farmer leaders. They return now with new ideas, complemented with renewed determination to realize these possibilities in their own localities, in their own communities. And so, this is what we honor today. Not just an increase in productivity; it is about transforming the lives of our people and strengthening our agricultural sector,” President Marcos Jr. added.
The Chief Executive reaffirmed his Administration’s commitment to expanding the KOPIA pilot village model in more rural communities across the nation and cited government efforts to develop community and university-based seed production facilities. He also called on the farmer-beneficiaries to pass on their knowledge to the next generation to ensure a sustainable agriculture sector in the future.
“Let us move forward together – strengthened by the spirit of Bayanihan and inspired by the virtues of Saemaul Undong – to build a Bagong Pilipinas. A nation where every farmer prospers, every harvest brings hope and every Filipino takes pride in our hard-earned progress,” President Marcos Jr. ended in his message.
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