Japanese grant a symbol of continuing support to RP
Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines His Excellency Makoto Katsura said the Japanese Grant Assistance to the Food Security Project for Underprivileged Farmers symbolizes Japan’s continuing efforts to provide renewed hopes and greater livelihood opportunities for low-income Filipino farmers.
The ambassador along with several officials of the Japanese government was in the city for the 31st Japanese Grant Assistance for the Food Security Project for Underprivileged Farmers or the 2KR program.
In his speech, His Excellency Katsura said: “I hope this program will continue to uplift the lives of the underprivileged rural people. Let us combine all our efforts to make this program a continuing testimony of the mutual cooperation and cordial friendship built and shared for many years between two countries and peoples.”
In the 2KR program, the Philippines is a recipient of 480 million Yen worth of fertilizers. It is 26,135 metric tons of fertilizers. Iloilo and Negros Occidental will receive 6,000 metric tons of fertilizer.
The fertilizers were distributed in 14 provinces in the country. The fertilizers were shipped in four batches to three ports in Davao, Iloilo and Subic. “For the past three decades, Japan has provided farm inputs worth of billions of pesos for this program.”
“It should be worthwhile to note that this program is instrumental in providing various economic opportunities for the rural people and contributes to improving the lives at the grassroots level as well,” he said.
The counter-value fund of the program has been utilized for a wide range of agricultural and fishery development such as post harvest facilities, construction and rehabilitation of roads, capacity building programs for farmers, said Ambassador Katsura.
The ambassador is confident that the program will foster self-reliance not only among the immediate target beneficiaries in the provinces of the Philippines but eventually contribute to the food security program of the Philippine government.
