Benguet tomato production goes hi-tech

Tomato farmers in Benguet are expecting higher and more productive yields following the recent launch of smart greenhouse in the Philippines project (SGPP) in Baguio City.

The event was attended by top agriculture officials and representatives from the South Korean government.

It has a budget of P122.29 million with 70 percent share amounting to $1.7 million coming from the Korea International Cooperation Agency, while the remaining 30 percent or $.73 million came from the said country’s private companies.

The program will end in December 2021 but the next module or projects will be installed in other parts of the country and will by then be fully-funded by the Philippine government.
With its introduction, small and mid-sized farmers could enhance production with the introduction of Korean advanced technology and experience for high value-added agricultural products.

The introduction of the technology could not have come at more appropriate time as the agriculture sector of the country and even the whole world is suffering from the effects of climate change.

One of the impacts of climate change and global warming is prolonged dry spell brought by the El Niño phenomenon such as what is happening in the country right now.

Drought is one of the issues that will be addressed by the technology through SGPP.

The project has established nine greenhouses eight of which are dedicated for farmer’s education and training and one will be used for research and development.