A Japanese company making artisanal tea is introducing

mulberry trees as a cash crop for farmers in Pampanga, a

province devastated by Mt. Pinatubos eruptions 25 years
ago.

Kuwanosato, a firm based in the Yamanashi Prefecture,

said it succeeded in its three-year trial period for
mulberry trees grown at the foot of Mt. Arayat in
Pampanga.

In a program here on Monday night, Han Seong Min,

president of Kuwanosato, said the company was bringing
tea-making machines to the Pampanga State Agricultural
University (PSAU) in Magalang town through a P15
million grant from the Japan International Cooperation
Agency (Jica).