The recent visit of a business mission from the Czech Republic led by the country’s Minister of Agriculture Marek Výborný resulted to the signing of a letter of intent on cooperation in agriculture and the food industry between Ayborny and his local counterpart, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel.
Both officials agreed to enhance the collaboration in various areas, including in the veterinary, livestock, aquaculture and dairy sectors.
Discussions also touched on food production and technologies, water management for agriculture, and scientific research exchanges.
The delegation, composed of 40 representatives from Czech private businesses and state agencies, held a series of meetings with local officials and business executives.
The Czech Embassy in partnership with the Czech Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Agriculture organized an agribusiness forum in Makati and Davao on 21 and 22 March, respectively.
The foreign companies presented proposals for the brewing industry, dairy production, meat processing as well as other related agriculture industries.
“I believe that the rich and diverse participation in the forum may result to enriching and strengthening the cooperation, especially in the sectors that we represent and that’s the agriculture and food industries. I would be very glad for our partners from the Philippines to perceive this as a clear signal how much we are interested in strengthening our contacts with partners in the Philippines,” Minister Výborný’s keynote address stated.
Tieups with State U
Výborný also paid a courtesy visit to the University of the Philippines and discussed with university president Angelo Jimenez potential research and collaborations in forestry, tropical and subtropical agriculture, as well as in water management.
Výborný emphasized a Czech commitment to enhance mutual trade and economic relations in the agriculture and food industry sectors as well as to foster stronger partnership between the universities and research institutions in the Czech Republic and the Philippines.
