MANILA/TOKYO – The Japanese government on Wednesday announced a grant assistance of 752 million yen to aid farmers and fishermen in central and southern Philippines affected by Typhoon Odette, which hit several regions in Visayas and Mindanao last year.
Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa signed and exchanged notes with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative in the Philippines Sheila Wertz-Kanounnikoff and World Food Programme (WFP) Philippines Representative and Country Director Brenda Barton, according to Japan’s Foreign Ministry.
The Japan Embassy in Manila said that the FAO will implement the “The Project for Restoring Livelihoods and Enhancing Resilience of Farmers and Fisherfolks Affected by Typhoon,” which is expected to benefit around 4,000 small coconut farming and fishing households in Bohol, Southern Leyte and Surigao del Norte.
The beneficiaries will receive agricultural and fishery inputs as well as adaptation of climate-resilient agriculture and fishery practices, it added in a press release.
The Japanese government contributed 251 million yen for the project.
“As we implement this new project, we strongly hope that this sense of solidarity from Japanese people will reach many Filipinos on the ground,” Koshikawa said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the WFP will carry out the “The Project for the Improvement of Agricultural and Fisheries Value Chain for Smallholder Farmers and Fisherfolk in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” which will benefit approximately 7,500 farming and fishing households, or approximately 37,500 people in BARMM.
It will implement interventions such as improved market linkages and increased agricultural productivity in order to strengthen inclusion in the nutrition-sensitive agricultural value chain, the Embassy stated.
Japan donated 501 million yen for the program.
“We strongly hope that this project will be successful and that this model will be extended to the rest of the Bangsamoro region for a better future deserved by all,” the Japanese envoy commented. - Florenda Corpuz
