At least 68 workers from Dinagat Islands province departed Tuesday for South Korea via Cebu International Airport following a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the province and the Pyeongchang County late last year.

Signed on Nov. 21 last year, the MOU calls for the opening of employment opportunities for seasonal farm workers from Dinagat Islands to Pyeongchang County.

The first batch of workers, composed of 11 farmers, already flew to South Korea on Monday. Another 63 will also leave for South Korea on Wednesday.

Signed between Gov. Nilo Demerey Jr. and Pyeongchang County Mayor Sim Jae Kook, the MOU calls for the sending of 2,000 farmers and fishermen to the county for yearlong farming and fishery works.

In a statement Tuesday, Demerey said the workers will not only work and earn in Pyeongchang but also learn through exposures and training schemes new agriculture and fishery technologies.

Those qualified to work and study in Pyeongchang County are farmers age 30 to 50-years-old.

“By the time they come home, these new and advance technologies in agriculture and fisheries will be introduced by these workers here in Dinagat Islands,” Demerey said.

More workers will be deployed in the following months after the completion of the preparations of documents and requirements of the workers, he added

He said that the processing of additional workers who are part of the 2,000 individuals stipulated in the MOU is being facilitated by the provincial government and other concerned agencies. (PNA)