Mindanaotoday.com | Korean experts monitor Smart Greenhouse in DA’s research complex
By: Cyrus Seraspe
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Department of Agriculture-10 (DA-10) welcomed the South Korean inspection team of the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (EPIS) for a week-long Field Technical Inspection on the Smart Greenhouse Facility on November 21-25, 2022 at the Northern Mindanao Agricultural Crops and Livestock Research Complex.
Assisted by DA-Special Projects Coordination and Management Assistance Division (DA-SPCMAD), the facility construction inspection team, composed of EPIS Director of International Agricultural Cooperation Division Hwang, Young-ki, Chief Facility Inspector Kim Jeoung-soo, and Facility Inspector Joo Seon-gu, conducted a general facility inspection based on its construction plan, overall analyzing the current status and conducting a test operation of the facility.
Likewise, said activity aims to assess the greenhouse project in terms of the challenges posed in the implementation, particularly the modifications done as future improved reference for their next projects.
During the team’s visit, Carlene Collado, DA-10 OIC regional executive director, expressed his gratitude for the establishment of the Smart Greenhouse facility in the region and for checking on it for possible improvements and repairs.
Be given a chance to propose another of said facility, the agri official conveyed, the importance of making it more viable and adaptable in other parts of the region.
“As the first recipient of this project in Mindanao, we have observed that some of its properties can be changed for future reference so it can be easily replicated, such as its size. A smaller version of it can be easily placed in smaller areas and its construction will cost lesser, thus the return to our farmers is faster but the quality of the produce is still the same,” Collado added.
Meanwhile, EPIS led by Chief System Inspector Park Sang-seo, who specializes in information system, also visited the said facility earlier this week, and checked the system security and web accessibility, and inspected the system configuration and environment, among others.
The Smart Greenhouse is a state-of-the art agricultural project featuring greenhouse technology for innovative production of strawberry, cherry tomato, and white potato.
It is a grant by the South Korean government and is funded through its Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) in partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA) of the Republic of the Philippines. (CRS | DA-10)
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