NongHyup President: "Operating Nationwide Smart Agriculture Support Centers... Supporting Facility Investment, Farming, and Sales"

Following Minister Kim Hyun-soo's New Year's Address from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs,
NongHyup also conducts New Year field inspections... "Fostering Smart Agriculture"

Lee Seong-hee, President of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (second from the right), is seen conversing with officials while touring a smart agriculture site on the first day of the new year, January 2. (Photo by National Agricultural Cooperative Federation)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Lee Seonghee, chairman of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF), began the new year’s work at the Smart Agriculture Support Center. The NACF plans to expand centers nationwide to provide comprehensive support?from facility investment to sales?for farmers operating smart farms. This aligns with Minister Kim Hyunsoo of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, who highlighted smart agriculture promotion as a key policy in his New Year’s address and press conference.

The NACF announced that on the 2nd, Chairman Lee held the opening ceremony of the 'Smart Agriculture Support Center' at Dongcheonan Nonghyup in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, marking the start of the new year’s work. The Dongcheonan Nonghyup Center is the first smart farm education facility established under the leadership of local agricultural cooperatives, together with heads of agricultural cooperatives and young farmers in the Cheonan area. Chairman Lee inspected the facilities on site and discussed ways to expand smart agriculture with a field-oriented approach. The Dongcheonan Nonghyup Center supports small-scale and young farmers to learn farming technologies within nearby living areas without making direct investments.

The NACF plans to establish additional centers in 16 regional areas nationwide. To this end, it will hold a pilot project contest for centers targeting agricultural and livestock cooperatives across the country this year. Customized technical education, facility, and financial consulting will be provided to selected cooperatives and participating farms. Furthermore, the NACF intends to accelerate the nationwide dissemination of smart agriculture technologies in connection with government budgets.

Chairman Lee said, "Digitalization of agriculture is an inevitable trend, but farmers face difficulties investing in expensive smart farm facilities," adding, "We plan to expand the operation of centers centered on regional agricultural cooperatives." He continued, "We will provide opportunities to practice the entire process, including facility investment, farming, and sales."

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