Yun Byeong-tae, Mayor of Naju, Visits Crop-Damaged Farms... Busy Preparing Countermeasures

Published 08 Mar.2024 10:35(KST)

Yoon Byung-tae, mayor of Naju City in Jeollanam-do, visited farms affected by crop damage due to prolonged cloudy weather, rainfall, and lack of sunlight, and took measures to address the issue.

Mayor Yoon Byung-tae is visiting farms affected by crop damage due to insufficient sunlight, inspecting the damage situation. <br>[Photo by Naju City]

Mayor Yoon Byung-tae is visiting farms affected by crop damage due to insufficient sunlight, inspecting the damage situation.
[Photo by Naju City]

The city announced on the 8th that an analysis of data from the Gwangju Regional Meteorological Administration showed that the sunshine duration from November last year to January this year decreased by 113 hours compared to the previous year.

Field inspections in Naju revealed that melons suffered damage such as poor photosynthesis, reduced heat accumulation inside facilities, poor pollination and fruit set, stunted fruit enlargement, poor net formation and coloration, and wilting disease.

As a result, the shipment volume of premium-grade melons in January decreased by 79% compared to the previous year, and the total shipment volume and settlement amount dropped by 30%.

Strawberries, a representative local specialty, also experienced over a 30% decrease in harvest compared to the previous year due to poor growth, delayed fruit ripening, and disease outbreaks such as gray mold caused by reduced sunlight.

In response, the city actively petitioned the government together with Jeollanam-do last month to recognize the affected farms as eligible for disaster recovery support, aiming to stabilize agricultural recovery amid pest outbreaks, reduced yields, and quality deterioration caused by the lack of sunlight.

Mayor Yoon said, “Farmers are facing double hardships due to increased operating costs such as winter fuel, electricity, and labor costs, along with reduced crop yields,” adding, “The government should promptly recognize the unexpected abnormal climate phenomenon of reduced sunlight as an agricultural and fishery disaster and conduct damage surveys.”