Site selection ongoing for agri mechanization facility

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it is evaluating locations for an agri-machinery assembly center to be established in partnership with the Korea Agricultural Machinery Industry Cooperative (Kamico).

“For the site, the President gave us three months,” Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel V. de Mesa told reporters on the sidelines of Post-State of the Nation Address briefings last week.

“There are now candidate sites that we are looking at, one of which is in Cabanatuan, the second in Tiaong, Quezon, and a third in Batangas,” he added.

The DA and Kamico signed a memorandum of understanding on the assembly center partnership last month.

The facility will have a research and development center and a training area.

Kamico’s initial investment is $30 million for phase one of the project, rising to $90 million in the second phase, the Presidential Communications Office said.

A technical working group was created to finalize the details of the project, including the project site, investment scheme, institutional arrangement, among others.

“Kamico is the umbrella organization of the Korean agri-machinery industry. The group will bring in private investments,” Mr. De Mesa said.

Kamico has a membership of about 700 Korean agricultural machinery manufacturers. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera