Philippines secures $2.43 million funding to build smart greenhouses

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has secured $2.43 million in funding from South Korea to develop smart greenhouses which allow farmers to control temperature, humidity and soil moisture for optimal growth.

A memorandum of agreement was recently signed between the Department of Agriculture and the Korea Agency for Education, Promotion and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (EPIS) for the $2.43 million grant.

The project is aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of small and mid-sized farmers by establishing greenhouse technology for high-value added agro-product.

It also aims to boost farmers’ income by strengthening the distribution channel through co-branding activities and shipping their produce  across the Philippines.

The first 18 K-Smart greenhouses will be established in Benguet province  to produce high value vegetables, especially tomatoes.

“We have also committed that as soon as high value vegetable farmers confirm the effectiveness of the smart greenhouses in increasing their productivity, we will propose the inclusion of the program for more greenhouses in the 2020 budget of the DA,”   Agriculture undersecretary Emmanuel Pinol said.

The agreement also covers the dispatch of Korean experts and farm consultants and the training and education of Filipinos in Korea, as well as exchange of research materials.

The financial assistance followed the agriculture cooperation pact signed by the Philippines and South Korea during President Duterte’s recent visit.  The deal aims to  promote sustainable development that will help raise living standards in the farm sector.

Other projects between the two countries include the P28 billion fruit supply with Korea’s biggest supermarket chain, EMart for a period of three years.

South Korean manufacturing firms are also interested in putting  up an assembly plant in the country to help improve farm mechanization.

The Korean Agricultural Machinery Industry Cooperative (KAMICO) needs a 50-hectare area for the assembly plant which will  produce tractors and other farm machinery.

The Bases Conversion Development Authority has already committed an area in Clark while the trade department is set to provide incentives to KAMICO.