ATI-RTC X Compound, El Salvador City---One of the thrusts of the Department of Agriculture (DA) is the provision of support to young Filipino farmers considering that the human resource base of the agriculture sector is aging and keeps dwindling through the years.

Responding to the country’s agricultural challenges and opportunities, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) and the Japanese government commit together to work on the Young Filipino Farm Leaders Training Program in Japan (YFFLTPJ) for Batch 2019.

Recently, a regional examination for the provincial exam passers transpired as administered by Agriculturist II and YFFLTPJ coordinator Cristine A. Galupo along with 4-H Coordinator Cheryl R. Talucod of PAO Misamis Oriental and JAECAAP alumnus Ryan Jay Factura. Twenty-seven (27) young farmer hopefuls from Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, and Lanao del Norte took the exam. Qualifiers from Northern Mindanao will advance to the national level of examination. The final five will be subjected to an 11-month intensive on-farm training under Japanese host families in Japan. The young Filipino trainees will be matched with Japanese foster parents based on the interest and expertise of both the trainees and host farmers.

This year, Mr. Richard Dadole of Impasug-ong, Bukidnon and Mr. Ildefonso Beltran Jr. of Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental were among the young farmers sent to Japan for the on-farm training immersion. (with reports from Cristine A. Galupo, Agriculturist II)