The Korean
Project on International Agriculture (KOPIA) Center in the Philippines, which
is hosted by Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), is expected to
intensify its efforts to improve rice varieties and cultivation in the country
with the appointment of its fourth director.
Incoming KOPIA Director Dr. Wonha Yang said
that the goal of his stay in the Philippines is to help Filipino farmers
increase their income, and he promised to do his best for the agency.
“The Philippines has a good condition (for
rice production). We will help you achieve rice self-sufficiency,” the new
director said during turnover ceremonies held July 2 at PhilRice-CES.
The country was 98 percent rice
self-sufficient in 2012, according to Department of Agriculture (DA). Dante
Delima, DA assistant secretary, expressed optimism that the country will
eventually become rice self-sufficient within the year.
Before joining KOPIA, Yang was the head of
the Chuncheon substation of the National Institute of Crop Science of Rural
Development Association (RDA)-Korea.
His main work involved research on rice
cultivation technique in direct seeding and machine transplanting; rice stress
physiology on effect of water temperature to rice plant; and rice cultivation
and production.
South Korea, despite having limited lands
to till for farming, is rice self-sufficient and exports many types of
agricultural commodities. It has one of the most modernized agriculture sectors
in Asia.
Three directors preceded Yang since the
establishment of KOPIA-Philippines in September 2012 through a Memorandum of
Agreement signed by RDA-Korea and the Department of Agriculture of the
Philippine government. They are: Dr. Jae-Duk Kim, Dr. Sang-Guie Lee, and Dr.
Jeong-Taek Lee whose term ended this month.
The center was established as a symbol of
South Korea’s support and gratitude to the Philippines’ for sharing its rice
supply when South Korea needed it decades ago.
The project started its initial research
and development activities in the 2011 dry season by screening 15 Korean and
Philippine rice cultivars, and demonstrating three types of Korean machines for
direct seeding. Both activities were set up at PhilRice CES. The project was
expanded to Kalinga, Pangasinan, Isabela, Aurora, Laguna, Iloilo, and Bohol
during the 2011-2012 cropping seasons.
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