An agricultural cooperative based in Korea recently proposed to bring in about 30 agri-machinery companies to invest in farm equipment assembly and manufacturing.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar over the weekend said this development came after a memorandum of understanding (MoU) reaffirming a PH-Korea partnership to bolster the agricultural mechanization was signed last 27 November.

The MoU with Korea Agricultural Machinery Cooperative (KAMICO) seeks to promote the agricultural development of both countries in terms of mechanization and modernization.

KAMICO chairman Kim Shin-Gil expressed interest to strengthen the agricultural cooperation between the Philippines and Korea through its partnership with the Department of Agriculture.

“The increased agricultural mechanization would result in enhanced agricultural productivity so that the Philippines would be able to attain food security, raise the incomes of its farmers, and boost its capability to expand agricultural exports,” he said.

KAMICO is particularly looking to invest in various manufacturing equipment such as tractors, rice transplanters, rice mills, tillers and plows, cultivators, greenhouses, agricultural product dryers and balers.

Such equipment are essential for the production of high-value crops and the prevention of epidemics in livestock.

For his part, Dar said the renewed partnership with KAMICO paves the way for the Philippines and Korea to boost agricultural cooperation and to develop collaborative projects that would advance the Philippines’ agriculture sector.