The South Korean government is exploring the possibility of hosting youth from Northern Mindanao as part of its comprehensive agricultural internship program.
Vic Thor Palarca, media specialist for the Agriculture Training Institute-Northern Mindanao (ATI-10), said in an interview on Friday that the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion, and Information Service (EPIS) in Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries is conducting a feasibility study for the “Internship Program on Smart Agriculture for Young Filipinos.”
“Once implemented, this program will train our young farmers in Smart Agriculture and expose them to advanced Korean agricultural technologies,” Palarca said.
The program plans to select 30 qualified applicants from across the Philippines for its inaugural batch.
During a meeting on Thursday between ATI-10 officials, led by Center Director Maria Lydia Echavez, and the Korean delegation at ATI-10’s headquarters in El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental province, discussions included the potential expansion of smart greenhouses in the region.
In 2022, EPIS facilitated the construction of PHP70 million worth of smart greenhouses in partnership with South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs, marking a significant step toward modernizing the region’s agricultural sector. (PNA)