By 2027, Fostering '30,000 Young Farmers'... 30% Smartization of Facility Horticulture and Livestock Barns

President Yoon Suk-yeol is entering together with Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Chung Hwang-geun, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, at the Emergency Economic and Livelihood Meeting held on the morning of the 5th at the Smart Farm Innovation Valley in Sangju-si, Gyeongbuk. 2022.10.5 Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Son Seon-hee] The government plans to nurture 30,000 young farmers by 2027 and promote agricultural innovation by digitally transforming 30% of facility horticulture and livestock farms.

On the 5th, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs reported the 'Agricultural Innovation and Management Stabilization Measures' at the emergency economic and livelihood meeting chaired by President Yoon Seok-yeol at the Smart Farm in Sangju, Gyeongbuk.

The government will nurture 5,000 young farmers annually, totaling 30,000 by 2027. To this end, the target number of recipients for the farming settlement support fund for young farmers will be doubled from the current 2,000 to 4,000 starting next year. Additionally, the current unit amount has been increased by 10% to 1.1 million KRW.

The supply of farmland to young farmers will also be significantly expanded. Starting next year, a 'pre-lease and post-purchase system' will be introduced, allowing young farmers to lease farmland for 30 years, farm it, and then purchase it. To support young farmers' smart farm startups, a youth farmer startup complex will be newly established from next year, providing land prepared for greenhouse construction, rental-type smart farms, and rental housing.

The repayment period for loans provided to young farmers will be extended from 15 to 25 years, and the interest rate will be lowered from 2% to 1.5%. Loans of up to 3 billion KRW will be supported for operating smart farms.

To support young farmers' settlement in rural areas, 400 living zones providing housing, care, education, and other life services will be established, and the construction of youth settlement housing will be expanded.

Alongside this, the government announced plans to smartify 30% of existing facility horticulture and livestock farms. Technologies and equipment that can be immediately applied, such as environmental control and data management, will be distributed to convert existing greenhouses and livestock farms into smart facilities. Furthermore, ICT equipment and artificial intelligence (AI) services will be expanded mainly in major production areas of key greenhouse crops (strawberries, flowers, etc.). In livestock farms, facilities and equipment necessary to solve problems such as odor and disease management, as well as the expansion of livestock Internet of Things (IoT), will be promoted.

Considering the recent supply chain instability caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine situation, which led to a sharp rise in international raw material prices and a significant increase in costs for agricultural materials such as fertilizers and feed, related support will continue next year. The government will cover 80% of the price increase for mineral fertilizers and plans to supply 1 trillion KRW in feed purchase funds at an interest rate of 1.8%.

Jung Hwang-geun, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "If young farmers familiar with advanced technology enter the field and apply core smart agriculture technologies centered around them, agriculture can vigorously leap forward as a future growth industry. We will manage young farmer nurturing and smart agriculture expansion as major agricultural policy tasks while also expanding income, management, and livelihood safety nets for existing farmers."

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