Officials of Bureau of Agriculture of Palau attended an online training course on meat-processing techniques as part of the Japan-Palau Agricultural Cooperation

On 24 and 25 February, 2022, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) held an online training course on meat-processing techniques. 7 officials of the Livestock Division, Bureau of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment of Palau (MAFE) and Taiwan Technical Mission attended the course and learned about preparation techniques of sausages, ham and bacon as well as appropriate food hygiene.
 
The Government of Palau built a pig slaughter house and a feed mill station and has been expanding pig and chicken breeding houses, supported by Taiwan Technical Mission. The Government has assisted livestock farmers from production to primary processing, which has attracted many people in Palau to start livestock farming. One of the current challenging issues is to develop a stable supply chain and create highly value-added products for enhancement of livestock production and farmers’ livelihood.
 
In May 2021, President Whipps and Japan’s Minister for MAFF Nogami (at that time) signed a MOU on Agricultural Cooperation and Japan launched a new grant aid project worth 1.8 million USD in July 2021 to construct a meat-processing station, a chicken slaughterhouse and a veterinarian laboratory. The online training course held on 24-25 February is part of the Japan-Palau agricultural cooperation projects for officials of the Livestock Division who will be engaged in the meat-processing station to learn about how to prepare meat products safely. The webinar was arranged by Japan Development Institute Ltd. in cooperation with a Japanese livestock company Global Pig Farms Inc. in Gumma Prefecture, funded by MAFF’s Overseas Agriculture and Trade Investment Environment Survey Analysis Consignment Project in FY 2021. The training materials including manuals and videos will be available on MAFF’s website in March 2022 for the use of Palauan people for the future.
 
After the completion of the seminar, Ambassador of Japan Karasawa handed over a certificate of the training course to each participant. At the closing ceremony, Ambassador Karasawa stated, “Although this course was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I hope the officials who joined this course will utilize the knowledge and visit a meat-processing factory in Japan for the future.” Chief Rengulbai of the Livestock Division said, “We appreciate this opportunity and Japan’s assistances for development of livestock in Palau.”