Hapcheon County Holds Field Demonstration of Smart Mechanization for Garlic Harvesting

Increasing Use of Agricultural Machinery for Field Crop Harvesting
Expected to Alleviate Labor Shortages for Farmers

Hapcheon County, Gyeongnam Province, announced on the 22nd that a field demonstration event for garlic harvesting using agricultural machinery was held at a warm-climate garlic farm in Jeongto-ri, Jeokjung-myeon, with over 100 participants including officials from the Rural Development Administration, Gyeongnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services, Korea Agricultural Machinery Cooperative, and local farmers.

Hapcheon County, Smart Mechanized Garlic Harvesting Field Demonstration Event.

This demonstration event was organized to increase the utilization of agricultural machinery in labor-intensive field crop harvesting operations and to help resolve the labor shortage faced by farms.

The event began with a report on the current status of garlic mechanization in Hapcheon County, followed by a demonstration of the entire garlic harvesting process using machines. The agricultural machines showcased included a garlic scape cutter, a walk-behind stalk cutter, three types of diggers, a tractor-mounted garlic harvester, and three types of self-propelled riding collectors. Compared to conventional methods, these machines can reduce labor requirements by 67% and production costs by 47%.

Jo Hyeongchan, a farmer from Jeongto-ri, Jeokjung-myeon, said, "During the busy farming season, it is difficult to find workers, and labor costs have risen significantly, increasing the burden on farmers. I hope the quality and reliability of garlic harvesting machines will improve so we can farm with peace of mind, without worrying about labor shortages."

Kim Baeseong, director of the Agricultural Technology Center, stated, "Garlic harvesting is especially labor-intensive and difficult, so I hope this demonstration will help improve the performance of garlic harvesting machines and ensure a successful garlic harvest for our farmers."

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