MANILA -- The Japanese Embassy in Manila has allotted a total of USD426,168 or about PHP22.15 million to support sericulture business in the Philippines.
On Thursday, Japanese Ambassador Koji Haneda signed the grant contract with the representative of the Organization for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement International (OISCA), a Japanese non-government organization conducting activities in the Philippines.
The provinces of Benguet, Aklan, and Misamis Oriental will benefit from the project, through the transfer of similar sericulture business support that has been carried out in Negros Island.
Through this grant, the beneficiaries will undergo leadership development seminars for spreading sericulture operations, short-term training for sericulture farmers, and mulberry field maintenance.
While production of textiles is popular in the Philippines, Filipinos commonly rely on imports from other countries for some of its raw silk materials, including those used for traditional costumes such as the Barong Tagalog.
The Philippines aims to achieve the domestic production of all silk threads used in the country, making Japan's support deployment project for sericulture an essential initiative.
According to the Embassy, OISCA's assistance in the silk farming industry in the Philippines has come a long way, carrying out sericulture support business on Negros Island for more than 20 years. (Japan Embassy PR)
