Gwangyang-si Multipurpose Small Agricultural Machinery Support Project Popular Among Farmers

596 Units to Be Supplied This Year to Address Rural Labor Shortage

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik] Gwangyang City, Jeonnam announced on the 8th that it has supplied 596 multipurpose small agricultural machines such as cultivators, agricultural product dryers, and pesticide sprayers to reduce labor and increase farming convenience, receiving high praise not only from small-scale farms but also from the recently increasing urban farmers.

The multipurpose small agricultural machinery support project prioritizes providing small agricultural machines that can be used for various purposes, including sowing, harvesting, and management of low-mechanization rate field crops, to small-scale farms such as elderly farmers and women farmers. Among government-supported agricultural machinery, this project supports 50% of the purchase cost ranging from 300,000 to 3,000,000 KRW.

The city has invested 1.7 billion KRW this year and a total of 8.1 billion KRW since 2009 to supply 3,773 multipurpose small agricultural machines. Reflecting the demands of farmers, the city has secured additional funds annually not only from provincial projects but also from its own budget to supply to farms.

Kim Jin-sik, Director of Agricultural Support Division, said, “The multipurpose small agricultural machinery support project allows farms to purchase and operate the small agricultural machines they want, which greatly helps in farming,” adding, “We hope this project will be a source of vitality for rural areas struggling with labor shortages due to rural aging and the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.”

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik hss79@asiae.co.kr

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