THE Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) said it has completed an agricultural machinery design center in Nueva Ecija which it expects to start operating soon.
In a statement, PhilMech said construction of the Agricultural Machinery Design and Prototyping Center has wrapped up.
The facility will focus on developing and adapting equipment suitable for the Philippine agricultural environment.
PhilMech Director Dionisio G. Alvindia said the facility will also help come up with post-harvest solutions.
“The farm equipment manufacturing industry in the Philippines also stands to gain from the AMPDC as the center will take the lead in modernizing the industry by helping improve their manufacturing systems and design of their products,” Mr. Alvindia added.
The facility is partly funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
The facility’s construction cost was P370.55 million. About P289 million was provided by the South Korea through KOICA.
Between this year and 2026, PhilMech will focus developing and improving 10 to 12 types of agricultural machinery with the aid of South Korean technical experts. — Adrian H. Halili