PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC --- Czech President Petr Pavel said their country's Minister of Agriculture and a group of Czech businessmen, will embark on a journey to the Philippines soon with specific proposals aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation.

Pavel made this announcement with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at a press conference held at Prague Castle on Thursday afternoon (Prague time).

"Very soon our Minister of Agriculture shall visit the Philippines with a numerous delegation of our businessmen with specific, particular plans to offer," Pavel said, underlining the purposeful nature of the forthcoming visit.

Výborný's visit aligns with the mutual efforts of both nations to enhance collaboration with the Czech Republic in the realm of food security.

The Czech representative will engage in discussions with Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel and will also spearhead the business forum scheduled to take place in Makati on 21 March.

The delegation will also travel to Davao Region for a business forum and a tour of the Tagum Agricultural Development Company, Inc. (Tadeco) farm the next day.

On the other hand, Pavel also highlighted the diverse expertise of Czech businesses. These include the defense industry, manufacturing, agriculture, science, technology, and energy.

The Czech President also emphasized that these companies have meticulously crafted plans geared towards fostering future cooperation with the Philippines.

"We also have companies that are involved in defense industry, manufacturing, in farming and agriculture, science, technology, energy sector, power sector," Pavel said.

The Czech Republic was among the partners of the Philippines that offered support in analyzing and enhancing value chains within the Philippine dairy sector.

The Czech Aid-for-Trade approved the proposal from the National Dairy Authority (NDA) to finance the technical exchange of experts. This initiative was aligned with the Department of Agriculture's (DA) five-year plan aimed at increasing milk production in the country from one to ten percent.

The NDA successfully carried out two projects in collaboration with the Czech Republic: the Expert Assistance on the comprehensive Analysis of the Supply Chain of the Philippine Dairy Industry in 2018, and the Strengthening Capacities of Dairy Farmers and Extension Workers project in 2019.