Government Mobilizes Fully Against Heatwave... Sends Heatwave Prevention Texts to Farmers and Provides Ice Packs

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Activates 'Summer Disaster Response Situation Room' with Related Agencies
Minister Kim Hyun-soo: "Timely Implementation of Agricultural Production Management and Supply Stability Measures"

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] This year, farmers' concerns are growing not because of the rainy season but due to the heatwave, and the government has decided to establish a heatwave response system to actively respond. Support measures include sending heatwave prevention text messages mainly to elderly farmers and providing ice packs.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 20th that it will respond to the heatwave in cooperation with related organizations centered on the 'Summer Disaster Countermeasure Situation Room.' The Korea Meteorological Administration expects the number of heatwave days this year to exceed the average of 9.8 days. The agricultural sector is highly vulnerable because many places such as rice paddies, fields, and greenhouses are exposed to high temperatures. Among 2,216 heat-related illness cases from 2014 to last year, 326 cases (14.7%) occurred in rice paddies and fields. Additionally, concerns include livestock fattening and breeding disorders, livestock deaths, reduced crop yields, and quality deterioration. In 2018, damage affected 9.08 million livestock and 22,509 hectares of crops.

The Ministry plans to implement ▲ heatwave damage prevention measures for agriculture and rural areas ▲ support for farms affected by heatwaves. First, it will work with local governments, the Rural Development Administration, and agricultural cooperatives to prevent heat-related illnesses among elderly farmers. When a heatwave warning is issued, prevention guideline texts will be sent to farmers. The health status and heatwave damage of 120,000 elderly farmers in rural areas will be monitored regularly. Furthermore, essential supplies such as bottled water, cooling sleeves, and ice packs will be provided to areas under heatwave warnings.

To prevent livestock damage, measures include maintaining and managing appropriate stocking densities by livestock type, pre-inspection of cooling devices, and facility improvement support for farms vulnerable to heatwaves. Compliance with appropriate stocking densities under livestock laws will be continuously monitored. If the number of animals exceeds the standard, restrictions on livestock disaster insurance enrollment will be expanded. Additionally, 89.3 billion KRW will be invested to support modernization projects for livestock facilities.

To reduce crop damage, active on-site technical consulting will be conducted for heatwave response, such as operating shading and water curtain facilities inside greenhouses and using sprinklers for open-field crops. Growth monitoring will be strengthened to prepare for sudden changes in crop conditions due to adverse weather such as heatwaves and rainy seasons.

Moreover, to stabilize supply and demand, stockpiling of items expected to suffer poor harvests due to continued heatwaves will be expanded, and contract cultivation volumes will be secured. If supply instability occurs, it will be managed through flexible market supply. Purchase stockpiling of highland cabbage and radish (10,000 tons of cabbage, 2,000 tons of radish) and additional contract shipment volumes of apples and pears will be promoted. The government will supply quantities that can adjust supply and demand to the market through purchase stockpiling, shipment control facility volumes, and vegetable price stabilization projects to achieve price stability.

The Ministry will operate the situation room until October 15 and provide support for damage recovery. In case of livestock heatwave damage, it will cooperate with the NongHyup and others to provide an advance payment of 50% of the estimated insurance payout. Even farms without insurance will receive support for young livestock stocking costs, replacement costs, and pesticide costs if damage occurs to livestock and crops. According to the Agricultural and Fishery Disaster Countermeasure Act, support will be provided when crop damage exceeds 50 hectares or livestock product damage exceeds 300 million KRW by city, county, or district.

Severely affected farms will receive support for living expenses and high school tuition (for damage rates over 50%), and repayment deferral and interest reduction on farming funds (for damage rates over 30%). For example, a family of four with a monthly living expense of 1.23 million KRW will receive 440,000 KRW in tuition support. If affected farms wish, they can undertake disaster recovery through the 'Disaster Countermeasure Management Fund.' This fund supports operating expenses based on the damaged crop area and number of affected livestock. For example, 27 million KRW per hectare for apples, 78 million KRW for ginseng, 7.6 million KRW per Hanwoo (fattening cattle), 310,000 KRW per fattening pig, and 18,000 KRW per 10 broilers are provided with a fixed interest rate of 1.5% and a loan period of one year.

In addition, plans to prevent and take preemptive measures against localized heavy rain and typhoon damage will continue. Managing reservoir water levels is essential. Minister Kim Hyun-soo of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs stated, "To prevent heat-related illness damage among vulnerable rural groups, we will provide detailed guidance and support in cooperation with local governments and NongHyup, and conduct thorough pre-inspections to minimize heatwave damage in agriculture such as livestock deaths. We plan to respond thoroughly to ensure timely implementation of necessary measures for production management and supply stabilization of major agricultural products."

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