Foreigners working hard in Kochi

   Introducing two of the ※trainees working in agriculture from the Northern Philippine Province of  Benguet, with which Kochi Prefecture has a sister city relationship.

Clint

(※ The system of taking on trainees, for which the period of training is a maximum of 3 years, aims to transfer skills, techniques and knowledge to developing countries, and to cooperate with their economic development. As of April 2016, approximately 920 trainees are contributing to industry (agriculture, fishing, industrial production, food manufacture etc.) within the prefecture and learning techniques on a daily basis.)

 

Q:What’s your daily life like?

A:“I work on a farm in Susaki City, cultivating, harvesting and packaging Chinese chives. I live in a dormitory and my friends and I often take it in turns to cook for each other. On my days off the other trainees, farmers and I plan events, such as holding traditional dances.”

Q:How do you find Kochi?

A:“The people are friendly, the land scape is beautiful, the air is fresh and the raw fish is delicious! There are also a lot of advanced agricultural technology and facilities.”

Freddy

 

Q:What is your plan once you return to Benguet?

A:“I would like to continue working in agriculture and take back the advanced cultivation techniques, such as greenhouse cultivation, that I’ve learnt in Kochi where agriculture is thriving, and share them with those around me. I want to put all my effort into making good quality vegetables.”

 

Thoughts from the KIA Staff and CIR

   Before starting work on an actual agricultural site, the trainees intensely studied Japanese and life in Japan for 8 hours a day. The more experienced trainees who have been in Kochi for a while, teach and take care of the new trainees and help support them in their lives here. Furthermore, the trainees also seem to be highly trusted by the local community. We hope that even after they return home, they will be able to make use of their training experience and contacts made in Kochi, and be able to contribute to the development of their local agriculture.