Yeongyang-gun Promotes Special Support for Chili Pepper Drying Costs

Yeongyang-gun is promoting special support for drying costs to alleviate the difficulties faced by chili pepper farmers due to poor crop yields and soaring production costs.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Gwiyeol] Yeongyang-gun, Gyeongbuk Province, is promoting special support for chili drying costs to chili farmers who are experiencing difficulties due to reduced harvests and falling chili prices.

This year, Yeongyang chili production has decreased by about 10% compared to the average year and more than 25% compared to last year due to severe crop damage caused by the spread of various pests and diseases, including viral diseases, caused by frequent rainfall in August just before harvest.

To alleviate the difficulties faced by chili farmers caused by rising labor costs due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic (from 100,000 KRW to 120,000 KRW) and especially the sharp increase in chili production costs due to the rise in the price of duty-free diesel required for chili drying from 771 KRW last year to 1,334 KRW, a 73% increase (according to Korea National Oil Corporation Opinet as of August 30, 2022), a budget of 648 million KRW has been secured in the supplementary budget to pay chili drying costs within this year.

The chili drying cost support is 600,000 KRW per hectare and targets farms with a chili cultivation area of 1,000㎡ or more, supporting up to a maximum of 30,000㎡.

Quantities delivered through the Honggochu purchase project by Yeongyang Chili Distribution Corporation will be excluded from the supported area, and payments will be made to each farm based on the actual area needed for drying.

County Governor Oh Do-chang said, “We are relieved to be able to ease the worries of chili farmers who are struggling due to reduced harvests and falling chili prices, even if only a little,” and added, “We will continue to make efforts to stabilize farmers’ income in the future.”

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