By Robina Asido

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is seeking assistance from Japan to support the food security programs of the Philippine government.

During the courtesy call made by Representatives of the Embassy of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), headed by Economic Minister Nihei Daisuke and First Secretary and Agriculture Attache Tachikawa Jumpei on Nov. 29, Senior Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban expressed the Philippines’ interest in seeking assistance either through soft loans or the Japan Food Security Project for Underprivileged Farmers.

"In response, the Japanese envoys relayed that the Government of Japan is currently conducting an assistance program for procuring chemical fertilizers and facilitating fertilizer management in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN FAO)," the DA said in a statement on Thursday.

It added that the "bilateral cooperation between the Philippines and Japan is also expected to benefit agricultural projects in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) by helping provide farm-to-market roads, communal irrigation systems, and other initiatives".

During the visit of the Japanese envoys to the Department of Agriculture, also discussed was the "Japan’s satellite technology for the surveillance and detection of banana diseases such as Fusarium wilt, which is currently posing a threat to the Philippine banana industry."

The DA noted that "a more intensive discussion on areas of agricultural cooperation between the two countries is set to take place during Philippine President and Agriculture Secretary Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s planned visit to Japan next year". DMS