Japan provides funding for a project aiming commercialization of High Quality Strawberries and promotion of Agri-Tourism through a Japanese NGO

On March 14, 2022, Japanese Ambassador KOSHIKAWA Kazuhiko signed a grant contract for the project titled “Commercialization of Japanese Quality Strawberry and Promotion of Agri-Tourism in Highland“ with a Japanese non-governmental organization (NGO), Ikaw-Ako. The USD 277,455 (approximately 14.48 million pesos) total grant amount of the project will be funded under the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects.
 
The project aims to commercialize strawberry cultivation and encourage farm tourism in Barangay Patag, Silay City, Negros Occidental.  It will lay out an income option for the residents by utilizing Japan's strawberry cultivation technology and expertise in the operation of farms focusing on agri-tourism.
 
The Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects started in the Philippines in 2002. Since then, the Japanese Government has made contracts for 57 projects in the Philippines under this scheme, amounting to approximately 1.5 billion JPY (approximately 676.95 million pesos) in total. Japan believes that this project will not only strengthen the friendship between the peoples of the Philippines and Japan, but also bolster the existing strategic partnership between the two countries.
 
Note: Exchange Rate from BSP: 1 USD = PHP 52.1950, 1 PHP=JPY 0.4513 (as of March 9, 2022)