THE Republic of Korea and the Philippines reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the country’s rice sector through continued Official Development Assistance (ODA) cooperation during the “Workshop on Project Achievements and Future Directions for Enhancing the Rice Supply Chain in the Philippines” at Luxent Hotel, Quezon City.
Hosted by the Global Agriculture Policy Institute (GAPI), the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and the National Food Authority ( A), the workshop was organized by Orient Integrated Development Consultants Inc. (OIDCI) and supported by the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Korea Rural Community Corp.
The workshop highlighted the achievements of the Korea ODA project, “Improving the Rice Supply Chain to Ensure Quality of Seeds and Milled Rice for Distribution and Buffer Stocks in the Philippines,” which supported the establishment of modern rice seed processing facilities and cold-storage seed warehouses in PhilRice stations in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija; San Mateo, Isabela; and Batac, Ilocos Norte, alongside capacity-building and information systems for seed and buffer stock management.
In his opening address, GAPI President and Project Manager Byung Ki Lee underscored that the workshop was more than a venue for presenting project accomplishments.
Lee emphasized that the project demonstrates how bilateral cooperation can help address rice supply challenges while laying the foundation for stronger agricultural collaboration between the two countries.
Meanwhile, the technical sessions featured presentations by Jiwan Yoon of GAPI on project implementation experiences; Herman Ongkiko, president and CEO of OIDCI, on the project’s outcomes and achievements; and PhilRice Deputy Executive Director Eduardo Jimmy Quilang, who presented the proposed DA-TECH follow-up project.
A panel discussion involving representatives from the A, PhilRice, Kopia Philippines Center and OIDCI concluded the workshop, reinforcing the shared commitment to sustaining the gains of Korea-Philippines agricultural cooperation.
© Copyright 2025 The SSResource Media.
All rights reserved.