KT&G Supports Leaf Tobacco Farmers with 400 Million KRW for Health Checkup Expenses and More

On the 25th, at the Daejeon Tobacco Production Stabilization Foundation, Kim Samsu, President of the Central Association of Flue-Cured Tobacco Production Cooperatives (left), and Shin Songho, Head of Raw Materials Division at KT&G (right), attended the handover ceremony and posed for a commemorative photo. (Photo by KT&G)

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] KT&G announced on the 26th that it has delivered 400 million KRW in welfare promotion funds to continuously coexist with domestic tobacco leaf farms. The support fund will be used for health checkup costs for 960 elderly tobacco leaf cultivators and scholarships for 85 farmers' children.

Farmers are facing difficulties securing labor due to the continuous decline in the rural population and the COVID-19 crisis. Tobacco leaf cultivation is characterized by being difficult to mechanize, resulting in very high labor intensity. In particular, tobacco leaf cultivators have a higher average age compared to other crops, requiring more attention to health management.

Accordingly, KT&G has been delivering welfare promotion support funds to tobacco leaf farms annually since 2013. Up to this year, a total of 2.854 billion KRW has been delivered, and the number of cultivators who received health checkups and scholarships for their children has reached approximately 7,957.

As part of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management, KT&G is making various efforts for coexistence and mutual growth with tobacco leaf farms, its raw material supply partners.

First, KT&G is the only domestic tobacco company that purchases all domestic tobacco leaves, taking the lead in protecting farms. Every year, it dispatches employee volunteer groups during tobacco leaf transplanting and harvesting seasons to assist with labor, and strives to alleviate the economic burden on farms by prepaying 30% of the sales price in cash per cultivator.

Shin Song-ho, Head of KT&G Raw Materials Division, stated, “We continue the welfare promotion support project to resolve farmers' difficulties and provide practical help. We hope this support will contribute to the healthy lives and improved economic conditions of farmers, and we will continue to uphold the role of a corporate citizen setting an example in society through coexistence activities with farms.”

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