Jeonnam Province to Harvest 630,000 Tons of 'Feed Crops' Before Rice Transplanting Next Month

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province is mobilizing all machinery and equipment to simultaneously harvest 630,000 tons of forage before the rice transplanting season early next month, marking the full-scale harvest season for forage crops.

According to Jeonnam Province on the 18th, favorable weather conditions such as mild temperatures and adequate rainfall during the past winter season have accelerated the growth of winter forage crops like Italian ryegrass and barley by about a week, and production is expected to increase.

The province plans to support farming entities in cities and counties that require harvesting equipment by providing 14.1 billion KRW for the purchase of 77 sets of tractors, mowers, and binders, as well as 58.8 billion KRW for silage production and transportation costs to ensure a smooth harvest.

Additionally, as part of the paddy field crop cultivation support project to stabilize rice supply, summer forage crops such as Sudan grass, corn, and total mixed ration rice will be cultivated on 5,070 hectares of rice paddies to produce approximately 100,000 tons of additional forage.

In particular, the forage production system, which has been concentrated on winter forage crops like Italian ryegrass and barley, will be diversified by expanding the production of summer crops such as corn and Sudan grass, enabling livestock farmers to use high-quality forage year-round.

The direct and indirect effects of forage cultivation are expected to amount to 326.9 billion KRW annually, including 142 billion KRW in feed cost savings, 18.4 billion KRW in forage direct payments, 97 billion KRW in forage cultivation income, and 69.5 billion KRW in import substitution effects.

Park Dohwan, head of the Livestock Policy Division at Jeonnam Province, stated, “We will encourage livestock farmers, crop farmers, and agricultural and livestock cooperatives to actively participate in forage crop production in line with the winter forage crop simultaneous harvest period.” He added, “We also ask for active cooperation to ensure sufficient drying and prevent foreign substance contamination to improve forage quality.”

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