Gyeongbuk Province Invests 65.9 Billion KRW to Stabilize Production and Supply of Vegetables and Specialty Crops

459 Billion Won for Production Base Establishment, 20 Billion Won Support for Supply-Demand Stability

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] Gyeongsangbuk-do announced on the 21st that it will invest 65.9 billion KRW to establish a stable production base for vegetables and specialty crops and to resolve unstable agricultural product supply and demand issues.

Based on the nation's second-largest production facilities (greenhouse area of 9,117 hectares), Gyeongbuk Province is leading the transition to future agriculture centered on the Smart Farm Innovation Valley.

Gyeongbuk Province, boasting the largest production of premium agricultural products such as Uiseong garlic, Seongju oriental melon, Hanjae minari, and Punggi ginseng, as well as medicinal crops (35% nationwide) and mushrooms (24% nationwide), will first support 45.9 billion KRW across 11 projects for production facility modernization to establish a low-cost, high-efficiency production system.

Specifically, it will support 3.3 billion KRW for horticultural facility modernization (199 hectares), 19.3 billion KRW for horticultural income crop cultivation (80 species), 9.4 billion KRW for field crop joint management body cultivation (16 locations), and 3 billion KRW for seed industry infrastructure establishment (3 locations).

Additionally, 4 billion KRW will be invested in energy-saving facilities for horticulture such as multi-layer thermal curtains and automatic thermal covers (136 hectares), and 50 million KRW will be allocated for geothermal heating and cooling facilities utilizing renewable geothermal energy (1 location) to reduce heating costs, which account for about 25% of horticultural operating expenses.

Along with this, 20 billion KRW will be supported to establish a stable supply system for major vegetables affected by production and supply instability due to climate change, leading to stable farm income.

Major projects include securing 16.5 billion KRW for vegetable production stability support (34,000 tons), adjusting production in advance through mountain area disposal in case of overproduction of major vegetables (garlic, chili peppers, onions), and investing 1.3 billion KRW (2 locations) to establish a cold distribution system for horticultural products.

Gyeongbuk Province explained that the national funds secured for the vegetable and specialty crop sector in 2021 increased by 37% compared to the previous year to 13.6 billion KRW, providing significant support to local finances struggling due to the spread of COVID-19.

Kim Jong-su, Director of the Agriculture, Livestock, and Distribution Bureau of Gyeongbuk Province, stated, "We will do our best to improve farm income by applying innovative ideas to the agricultural sector and to create a Gyeongbuk where farming is favorable by overcoming agricultural product price instability."

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