Jeonbuk Province Operates Agricultural Workforce Support Situation Room...Expecting Relief of Labor Shortage During Farming Season

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Jeonbuk Province announced on the 2nd that it will operate an "Agricultural Workforce Support Situation Room" to address the shortage of farm labor caused by difficulties in securing manpower due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic ahead of the full-scale farming season.

In addition, it has established and is implementing a "Farming Season Agricultural Workforce Support Plan," including investing 600 million won in the Rural Employment Workforce Support Centers and expanding them from the existing 14 locations to 28 locations.

This measure was prepared in recognition of the need for proactive and active responses for farmers who are already struggling due to the spread of COVID-19 and are facing difficulties in securing labor during the busy farming season, by preparing support measures for both domestic and foreign workforce supply.

Governor Song Ha-jin, together with Lee Sang-cheol, president of the Agricultural Organizations Federation, and provincial executives, hung the signboard for the operation of the Agricultural Workforce Support Situation Room at the Agricultural Policy Division of the provincial government office and began actively monitoring the agricultural workforce supply situation and providing support.

The COVID-19 Response Agricultural Workforce Support Situation Room, led by the Director of the Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries Food Bureau as the head of the situation room, will serve as a dedicated organization for agricultural workforce support. It plans to oversee the discovery and implementation of workforce support policies, systematic and stable labor supply, management of foreign seasonal workers, and farm work proxy services, operating until the end of June when the farming season concludes.

To focus support on farm work requiring a large workforce such as fruit and vegetable farming by basic livelihood security recipients, elderly, and female farmers, the Rural Employment Workforce Support Centers will be expanded and operated from 14 locations last year to 28 locations this year.

To this end, 600 million won will be provided to form and operate new farming work teams at the centers to alleviate the shortage of rural labor caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

Centers operating the new farming work teams will receive support for dedicated personnel wages, promotional expenses, etc., and recruiting farms will receive support for practical training expenses, transportation costs, accommodation costs, and more.

In particular, the new farming work teams are expected to create new employment by linking urban workers struggling with employment difficulties due to the economic downturn with rural job opportunities.

Governor Song Ha-jin of Jeollado said, "As the COVID-19 emergency situation prolongs, farmers ahead of the farming season are very concerned," adding, "We will fully operate the 'Agricultural Workforce Support Situation Room,' the control tower for rural manpower, at the provincial, city, and county levels to carefully monitor the labor supply situation and resolve the difficulties faced by farmers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.