On 28 June 2023 at 10:00 a.m. in meeting room 9 on the 2nd floor of the Golden Jubilee Administration and Information Center Building at Kasetsart University. Dr. Chongrak Wachrinrat, President of Kasetsart University honored presided over to deliver welcoming remarks along with KU administrators and faculty members including Associate Professor Dr. Kampanat Pensupar, Vice President for International Affairs; Associate Professor Dr. Buncha Chinnasri, Assistant to the President for Quality Development and Deputy Director of Kasetsart University International College (KUIC); Assistant Professor Dr. Orachos Napasintuwong, Deputy head, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, the Faculty of Economics; Associate Professor Dr. Oratai Jongprateep, Deputy director of research at Kasetsart University Research and Development Institute; and personnel of the International Affairs Division welcomed the official visit to Kasetsart University of Ms. Belen T. Fernandez, Mayor of Dakupang City, the Republic of the Philippines and 5 delegations.

Dr. Chongrak Wachrinrat, President of Kasetsart University welcomed Ms. Belen T. Fernandez, Mayor of Dakupang City, the Republic of the Philippines, and the team on their official visits and is pleased to support the opportunity for cooperation in education between Kasetsart University and Dakupang City, the Republic of the Philippines. Then, the KU administrator led a video presentation of Kasetsart University and gave a broad overview of Kasetsart University as a large public university consisting of 4 campuses and the Suphanburi Campus Establishment Project and the Faculty of Medicine Establishment Project, and further said that Kasetsart University just entered its 80^th year in February 2023. Kasetsart University was the first public university in Thailand to offer courses in agriculture. At present, Kasetsart University offers higher education programs in various fields both bachelor’s degree and graduate level according to international standards.

On this occasion, Ms. Belen T. Fernandez, Mayor of Daupang City, the Republic of the Philippines expressed her gratitude for this warm welcome and introduced a video presentation and provided information about Dakupang City, the Republic of the Philippines as well as mentioned that the purpose of this visit to Kasetsart University is to pursue and carry out a learning visit at KU which has been postponed from May 2023 to today due to Typhoon Mawar which brought heavy rain to the Philippines. Therefore, the visit has to reschedule. The assistance of the Royal Thai Embassy in Manila, particularly the tourism promotions division has connected both sides, it is undeniable that Kasetsart University is the largest and the leading agricultural sciences university research in Thailand. The delegation wishes to learn about how KU supports the communities and local enterprises in terms of development in product branding, marketing strategies, and promotions, among others.

Dagupan City is a small city situated 200 kilometers north of the capital Manila. Dagupan City is recognized as one of the principal agro-fisheries hubs of the Philippines. The local industries, particularly small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) would certainly draw inspiration and benefit to learn from Kasesart University to share how to succeed in these areas as well particularly small fishermen, local traders, and food processors. Then the delegations went to study visit the Faculty of Fisheries to study the Promotion of Aquaculture, the Office of Culture and Social Engagement, and the Premium @ KU before departing.

In this regard, Dr. Chongrak Wachrinrat, President of Kasetsart University mentioned academic cooperation that can develop in the early stages as follows 1. Kasetsart University can provide training in the form of short courses to increase professional experience in the seafood business to entrepreneurs and fishermen in Dakupang, especially in the knowledge of innovations in product development as well as packaging technologies, etc. 3. Provide educate tourism business learning for fisheries from experts in Thailand. 4. Support for university student exchanges in the Philippines with Kasetsart University to learn and share knowledge such as Tropical Agriculture International Programs, Mechanical Engineering in the field of product processing, etc. 5. Initiate the establishment of an academic collaboration or MOU between the two sides. In summary, both sides are pleased with today’s meeting and can further develop into academic cooperation between each other shortly.