KT&G Volunteers for Leaf Tobacco Harvest for 14 Years... Steadfast Coexistence with Farmers

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saeng-hye] KT&G announced on the 27th that it conducted a harvesting volunteer activity in the Mungyeong area of Gyeongsangbuk-do to help leaf tobacco farms struggling with labor shortages.

Leaf tobacco farming is concentrated in the midsummer months of July and August, is difficult to mechanize, and is mostly done manually, making it known for its very high labor intensity. In particular, domestic farms are facing difficulties securing labor due to the COVID-19 crisis and the continuous decline of the rural population.

To alleviate these difficulties faced by farmers, KT&G has been conducting volunteer activities annually since 2007, continuing coexistence with farmers. On the 24th, about 30 employees visited leaf tobacco farms in Gaeun-eup, Mungyeong City, and carried out harvesting volunteer work on about 3,000㎡ of farmland, harvesting approximately 4,000 kg of leaf tobacco.

KT&G is not only involved in leaf tobacco harvesting but also assists with labor during spring transplanting work, achieving year-round coexistence with farmers.

KT&G has also been steadily carrying out economic support projects to improve the welfare of domestic leaf tobacco farms. In May, it provided 400 million KRW in welfare improvement costs for health checkups of 1,000 leaf tobacco cultivators and scholarships for farmers' children. Since 2013, the cumulative amount has reached 2.454 billion KRW, benefiting about 6,900 cultivators. Among tobacco companies operating domestically, KT&G is the only company that purchases domestic leaf tobacco.

Shin Song-ho, Head of KT&G's Raw Materials Division, said, “We hope KT&G’s leaf tobacco harvesting volunteer activities will be of even small help to farmers struggling with labor shortages and COVID-19,” and added, “We will continue to make efforts for coexistence with farmers in the future.”

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