The Bureau of Agriculture (BOA) hosted a handover ceremony for the tractor funded by Japan’s grant aid on Friday, August 21.
The tractor is worth $40,000. The grant aid which provided it is one of the schemes under the “Economic and Social Development Programme in fiscal year 2016” of up to 200 million yen, signed in October 2017.
The ceremony was attended by Ambassador of Japan Akira Karasawa and Mr. Fred Sengebau, Director of the Bureau of Agriculture, as well as some key officials from the BOA.
In his opening remarks to the ceremony, Director Sengebau thanked the Government of Japan and emphasized that this assistance is a very timely donation. He reiterated his hope that Japan and the BOA continue their cooperation for the development of agriculture in Palau.
In his speech, Ambassador Karasawa stated that this assistance is the first step in Japan’s contribution to Palauan agriculture, which Japan plans to further support in the next few years. He concluded by kindly asking everyone to take care of the tractor, so that it can be used for a long time.