Miryang-si Supports Spring Season Farm Labor Assistance

Park Il-ho, Mayor of Miryang, Gyeongnam (left), joined in helping with the apple farm labor in the area. [Image source=Miryang City]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] Miryang City in Gyeongnam announced on the 31st that it visited apple farms in Sannae-myeon, which are struggling with a shortage of farm labor during the farming season, to help with farm work.

On this day, Mayor Park Il-ho also visited and lent a hand with apple thinning work, and encouraged farms that suffered fruit drop damage due to recent frequent rainfall and lack of sunlight.

This year, due to the impact of COVID-19, restrictions on the movement of rural labor between regions and a decrease in foreign labor have led to a shortage of farm workers. In particular, apple farms require more manpower for thinning work because adequate spring rainfall caused abundant flower bud formation, resulting in a higher fruit set rate compared to average years.

The city designated the period from the 10th of this month to June 15th as the focused period for helping with farm labor, with each department assisting at least once. The Agricultural Technology Center and the Eup, Myeon, and Dong Administrative Welfare Centers operate the ‘Farm Labor Assistance Promotion Center’ to connect farms with volunteers who wish to help.

A Miryang city official said, “We ask for active participation from related organizations and groups to resolve labor shortages caused by COVID-19 and to promote timely farming.”

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