To cope with the increasing demands for vegetables and other high-value commodities, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has embarked on the Smart Agriculture System (SAS) project in Western Visayas beginning this year.
Department of Agriculture (DA) Western Visayas Regional Executive Director Remelyn R. Recoter said during the pre-implementation survey meeting on August 8 at WESVIARC, Jaro, Iloilo City, the project sought funding from the Korean government to address the problem of limited production and supply of vegetables in the region.
“We are only seven percent sufficient in vegetables and other high-value crops needed in hotels, restaurants, and resorts in Boracay, Iloilo, and Bacolod City purposely for our local and international tourists. We import vegetables from Cordillera Administrative Region, though we also have high-value crop areas like Alimodian and Leon in Iloilo and San Remigio in Antique,” said Director Recoter.
Philippine Assistant Country Director Lee Takgun said that before project inception, they are conducting an in-depth pre-implementation survey for the smart agriculture system in Region 6 by assessing the viability of putting up a smart agriculture system in proposed sites based on efficiency, impact, and sustainability.
Pursuing a smart agriculture value chain through ICT-based technologies, KOICA will establish smart greenhouses with nurseries and storage facilities in proposed sites in Bago City, Negros Occidental; Tigbauan and San Miguel, Iloilo; Patnongon, Antique; and Lezo, Aklan. In implementing this project, KOICA and DA will partner with Civil Society Organization-accredited farmers’ cooperatives and associations involved in high-value crops farming.
KOICA will also capacitate high-value crop extension workers and farmers’ organizations on adopting smart agriculture technologies at the local levels, ensure the project’s profitability, and improve the marketing system for smart agriculture.
On the other hand, former DA Western Visayas Regional Technical Director and KOICA local consultant Manuel Olanday emphasized the need to generate smart greenhouses designed for tropical environments.
“KOICA has been very generous to Region 6. We already have several projects starting with the Rice Processing Complex in Pototan, Iloilo, and the Panay Island Upland Sustainable Rural Development Project, which significantly improved the farming and marketing system in the hinterlands of Aklan, Antique, Iloilo, and Capiz,” added Director Recoter.
DA and KOICA will be having Records of Discussion meeting in Aklan from August 10 to 11 to finalize the plans for the SAS project implementation in Region 6.
These automated smart greenhouses pipelined for construction starting this year are apart from the nine units already established by Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs at WESVIARC in Jaro, Iloilo, which are now producing crops off-season, including tomatoes, bell pepper, and mushroom. ### Sheila Mae H. Toreno/DA-RAFIS 6
