“No more farmers left behind in farming technology. The importance of mechanization in agriculture cannot be overstressed.”

This was the statement made by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday as he led the groundbreaking of the Korea Agricultural Machinery Industry Complex (KAMIC) in Brgy. Kalikid Sur, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, on 10 December 2025.

“The KAMIC is the first agricultural machinery production complex in the country. Its purpose is to strengthen our capacity to develop and build farm machinery. Designed with Filipino farmers in mind, these tools will help increase production, improve crop quality, and ultimately raise the income of our farmers,” he said.

Marcos acknowledged the sacrifices and challenges faced by Filipino farmers, stressing that their “struggles deserve solutions that are lasting and within reach.” He said the production of advanced machinery through KAMIC will modernize farm operations and significantly ease labor.

The President also emphasized that with KAMIC in place, farmers will no longer need to wait long for equipment parts or pay inflated prices for machinery.

Marcos expressed gratitude to South Korea for investing in the project and assured Korean partners that the Philippine government would safeguard their investments.

Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) Director IV Dionisio G. Alvindia said PHilMech had been planning the initiative for nearly a decade.

“The first step was the establishment of the country’s first Agricultural Machinery Design and Prototyping Center (AMDPC), which was inaugurated on 7 December 2023, at the PHilMech headquarters in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr.,” he added.

The project is led by the Korea Agricultural Machinery Industry Cooperative (KAMICO) with support from South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), the Korea Rural Community Corporation (KRC), and the Cabanatuan City Government headed by Mayor Myca Elizabeth R. Vergara.

Ambassador Sang-Hwa Lee, MAFRA Deputy Minister Jung Wook Kim, KRC Director Chan Won Choi, and KAMICO Chair Shin Gil Kim attended the groundbreaking, underscoring South Korea’s commitment to the initiative.

The complex will have a total development cost of $100 million, with $80 million coming from Korean investors and $20 million from the Philippine government through the Department of Agriculture and the Cabanatuan City local government.

Mayor Vergara noted last year that Cabanatuan is well-positioned to host the machinery assembly complex given its access roads capable of accommodating large trucks.