This is where Kubota’s comprehensive strength comes into play. One example is its initiatives in the Philippines. Large-scale farmers in the Philippines used to hire many workers to plant rice at the same time. In recent years, however, it had become difficult to attract workers, and there had been growing opportunities for the introduction of additional agricultural machinery. In response, Kubota launched the “ASEAN Seedling Business Start-up Project” as a trial in seedling cultivation in collaboration with related divisions. The purpose of this project is to create specialized seedlings to reduce the risks for farmers and at the same time spread the effects of agricultural machinery. The project also aims to dispel the concerns of local farmers, which is another problem. We brought together a group of concerned farmers and demonstrated rice planting with a rice transplanter in a paddy field. The farmers were amazed at the machine’s performance, and their anxiety quickly turned to expectation. Since then, Kubota has gradually helped farmers accumulate know-how on raising seedlings and rice transplanters, such as by dispatching experienced experts to provide them with guidance. In South Asia, one of the world’s leading rice-growing regions, the rate of uptake of agricultural machinery for rice planting is low, and farmers here have high expectations for rice transplanters. In addition to the Philippines, Kubota is also expanding its sites and sales networks in Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar, and has initiated activities to promote the uptake of rice transplanters.