Korea Rural Community Corporation Jeonnam Appoints Six Heads of Farmers' Organizations as "Honorary Headquarters Chiefs" to Strengthen Field Communication

The Jeonnam Regional Headquarters of Korea Rural Community Corporation held an 'Honorary Headquarters Director Appointment Ceremony' on the 23rd for six key agricultural organization leaders in the region. Photo by Korea Rural Community Corporation Jeonnam Regional Headquarters

The Jeonnam Regional Headquarters of Korea Rural Community Corporation held an "Honorary Headquarters Chief Appointment Ceremony" on the 23rd for six heads of major agricultural organizations in the region. During the event, the corporation explained the necessity of promoting the "Floating Solar Power Project" to ensure fiscal soundness and establish a sustainable agricultural foundation, building broad consensus with farmers' organizations.

The newly appointed honorary headquarters chiefs are Youngshin Hong (President of the Jeonnam Federation of Korea Advanced Farmers), Maesuk Kim (President of the Jeonnam Federation of the Korean Women Farmers Association), Wonseop Choi (President of the Jeonnam Federation of Korea Leaders in Agriculture and Fisheries and Permanent Representative of the Jeonnam Agricultural Organizations Federation), Kyungim Kim (President of the Jeonnam Federation of the Korea Home Economics Extension Association), Moosang Kim (President of the Jeonnam Federation of Korea Rice Professional Farmers Association), and Jinho Ryu (President of the Korea 4-H Headquarters), making a total of six appointees.

The event began with an inspection of water resource management and disaster response systems in Jeonnam, followed by the honorary headquarters chief appointment ceremony, a report on major business plans, and a roundtable discussion.

At the roundtable, Regional Headquarters Chief Jaesik Kim transparently disclosed the current financial status of the corporation.

Kim stated, "Since the abolition of the water use fee to ease the burden on farmers, related government budgets have in effect been frozen. As a result, the annual deficit from the maintenance and management costs of water facilities has reached approximately 200 billion won each year."

Until now, the corporation has managed to survive by selling off assets to make up for budget shortfalls, but even this has now reached its limit. In particular, following a reduction in the farmland lease consignment service fee for farmers from 5% to 2.5%, it was decided to fully exempt the fee starting this year, making an additional annual revenue decrease of over 2 billion won unavoidable.

To overcome this fiscal crisis and continue providing support services to farmers, the corporation presented the "Floating Solar Power Project" as an alternative. By installing solar power generation facilities on its reservoirs and large-scale ponds, the corporation has established a revenue-sharing structure involving the project operator, the corporation, and local residents.

In particular, the corporation plans to reinvest its share of the profits from the solar power project back into the agricultural sector. By reinvesting these profits into the maintenance and management of water facilities, the corporation aims to create a virtuous cycle in which energy revenues ultimately enhance safe farming environments and improve services for farmers.

After hearing the explanation, the heads of the farmers' organizations expressed their full understanding of the corporation's financial difficulties and its efforts, such as the exemption of service fees for the benefit of farmers.

The organization leaders responded, "We recognize the sincerity of the project, as it not only addresses the fiscal deficit but also reinvests the profits back into agricultural infrastructure. We will actively support the successful implementation of the project."

They also stated their intention to focus their efforts on creating a smart rural environment where young people can settle in agriculture with stability by expanding future-oriented smart farm adoption and related infrastructure, thus addressing the structural issues of rural aging and population decline.

Kim emphasized, "Securing stable financial resources for the maintenance and management of water facilities, as well as building smart farm infrastructure where young farmers can realize their dreams, are core tasks that will determine the future of our rural communities. I will closely collaborate with our honorary headquarters chiefs, who are our partners in happiness, to lead the sustainable growth of Jeonnam agriculture."

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