(Jeonju=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Jin-bang = The Rural Development Administration held the opening ceremony for the KOPIA Nepal Center in Kathmandu on the 29th (local time).
The opening ceremony was attended by around 80 officials from both countries, including Seo Hyo-won, Deputy Director of the Rural Development Administration; Govinda Prasad Sharma, Undersecretary of Nepal's Ministry of Agriculture; Trashna Prasad Timsina, Director of Nepal Agricultural Research Council; Kang Sung-ho, Chargé d'Affaires of the Korean Embassy in Nepal; and Kong Mu-heon, Director of the KOPIA Nepal Office.
The KOPIA Nepal Center will initially pursue cooperative projects in rice and potato sectors and plans to gradually expand its business areas in collaboration with the Nepal Agricultural Research Council.
It also intends to strengthen cooperation with the Nepalese government and related institutions to continuously develop and disseminate technologies suitable for local agricultural fields.
Deputy Director Seo stated, "The KOPIA Nepal Center will serve as a practical agricultural cooperation platform between the two countries" and "through Nepal-tailored technical cooperation such as developing climate change-responsive rice varieties, distributing disease-free seed potato production technologies, and training agricultural professionals, we will substantially contribute to agricultural development and food security."
Undersecretary Govinda also remarked in his congratulatory speech that "the opening of the KOPIA Nepal Center marks an important turning point in modernizing Nepalese agriculture and improving productivity" and "the Nepalese government will provide administrative and policy support to ensure the stable settlement of the KOPIA project."
chinakim@yna.co.kr