Boosting the Philippine agricultural sector can create a multiplier effect on the economy especially under this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Japan International Cooperation Agency said in a statement Wednesday.JICA Senior Representative Ohshima Ayumu made this statement following the inauguration of an irrigation system in San Fabian, Pangasinan on July 9, 2021 as part of the nationwide cooperation to rehabilitate and improve irrigation systems in the country.
“There are several other industries closely linked to agriculture and by helping raise farmers’ productivity through better infrastructure, the multiplier effect to the economy will be further realized,” Ayumu said. NIA is implementing the NISRIP project covering other farming communities in Ilocos Norte, Pampanga, Quezon, Palawan, Iloilo, Bukidnon, Davao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, and Agusan del Sur. More than 25,000 farmers are seen to benefit from this agricultural development cooperation.