Department of Agriculture (DA) Senior Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban and Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa met with the officials of Korea Agricultural Machinery Industry Cooperative (KAMICO), led by their Chairman Shin Gil Kim, on May 24, 2023 at the DA Central Office in Quezon City.
KAMICO is a federation of Korean agricultural machinery manufacturers. They have about 700 companies as members.
The purpose of the meeting is to discuss briefly the proposed establishment of a twenty (20) hectare farm machinery and equipment assembly plant in the Philippines.
Senior Usec. Panganiban said the proposed facility will be one of the flagship projects of the DA under the leadership of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in terms of agricultural mechanization.
During the President’s visit on April at the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (DA-PHilMech), he announced his intention to strengthen and expand the local agri-fishery manufacturing industry, in order to reduce reliance on imported machinery and equipment.
Meanwhile, KAMICO said that apart from agri machineries, they can assist the country by sharing technology or innovations for cultivating fruits like mango and strawberries, as well as their Korean orchard farming method. ### (photos by Alan Jay Jacalan, DA-AFID)
