2026-09-30
Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS)

On Monday, September 28, 2026, the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) held the kick-off meeting for Green Asia+ at the headquarters of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) of the Philippine Department of Agriculture in Quezon City, Philippines.

Since April 2022, JIRCAS has been implementing the Green Asia project, which aims to establish sustainable food systems in the Asian monsoon region. The successor project, Green Asia+, launched in April 2026, expands its scope to the Global South, including Africa and Latin America, while promoting the social implementation of Japan-developed agricultural technologies.

The focus technology, deep-planting sugarcane cultivation, is expected to contribute to sustainable sugarcane production in the Philippines, where risks from climate-related disasters such as typhoons and droughts are increasing (see JIRCAS Press Release dated February 28, 2025).

At the kick-off meeting, opening remarks were delivered by JIRCAS President HASEGAWA Toshihiro and SRA Administrator Pablo Luis S. Azcona, followed by presentations on the objectives and implementation strategy of Green Asia+.

The meeting also reviewed research achievements to date and formally launched a Japan-Philippines collaborative research program aimed at the social implementation of deep-planting sugarcane cultivation technology. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was subsequently held to commemorate the introduction of a partial deep tillage machine and a deep-planting planter to the SRA.

JIRCAS and the SRA will utilize these agricultural machines to conduct field demonstrations of deep-planted sugarcane cultivation on farmers' fields in Luzon and Mindanao islands. Through this initiative, the partners aim to establish a technology package suited to local cultivation conditions and promote its adoption, thereby contributing to sustainable sugarcane production that is resilient to the impacts of climate change.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, including Minister for Economic Affairs YOKOTA Naobumi and First Secretary AKASAKA Hidenori, as well as representatives from Yanmar Agri Co., Ltd. and Yanmar Philippines Corporation.

The Japanese Embassy welcomed the progress of the results of past Japan-Philippines joint research to the stage of social implementation, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Philippines, and expressed expectations for future initiatives.

The meeting provided an opportunity not only to advance efforts toward sustainable agriculture under Green Asia+, but also to further strengthen agricultural cooperation between Japan and the Philippines.

About Green Asia+

Green Asia+ is a project that promotes the deployment and social implementation of Japanese agricultural, forestry, and fisheries technologies in countries of the Global South.

JIRCAS President: HASEGAWA Toshihiro

Program Director:

OMORI Keisuke (PD for Information and Strategy)

Research Coordinators:

FUNAKI Yasuro (Director of the Social Sciences Division and Project Leader)
ANZAI Toshihiko (Project Leader, Rural Development Division)

Press Coordinator:

MARUI Junichiro (Head, Public Relations Partnership Unit)
Email: info-pr@jircas.go.jp

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