NongHyup Central Association Supports Farming Season with Delivery of Agricultural Machinery Worth 25 Billion Won

Published 18 Apr.2022 15:09(KST)

Updated 19 Apr.2022 06:45(KST)

National Simultaneous Launch Ceremony for Farm Cooperative Agricultural Support

Lee Seong-hee (fourth from the right in the front row), President of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, is taking a commemorative photo with Assemblymen Eo Gi-gu and Hong Moon-pyo after a farm machinery handover ceremony at the nationwide simultaneous launch event for comprehensive agricultural support held on the 18th at the Jusan Nonghyup nursery in Boryeong, Chungnam.

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Kim Hyewon] The National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF) announced that on the 18th, it held the 'Nationwide Simultaneous Launch Ceremony for Comprehensive NACF Farming Support' at the Jusan Nonghyup nursery in Boryeong, Chungnam, marking the start of the busy farming season.

At the launch ceremony, Lee Seonghee, Chairman of NACF, along with executives and employees of the comprehensive NACF, National Assembly Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, and Maritime Affairs Committee members Hong Moonpyo (Chungnam Hongseong and Yesan), Eo Gigu (Chungnam Dangjin), Lee Pilyoung, Vice Governor of Chungnam Province, and Kim Dongil, Mayor of Boryeong, joined forces to broaden public consensus on helping with rural labor shortages.

NACF also held an event to deliver agricultural machinery worth 25 billion won to agricultural cooperatives to replace the insufficient farming workforce caused by rural population decline, aging, and the prolonged impact of COVID-19. This aims to strengthen agricultural competitiveness and help reduce farm management costs. During the subsequent labor support activities, comprehensive NACF executives and employees installed seedbeds, which are fundamental to rice farming, and carried out environmental maintenance around the farms.

This year, NACF plans to activate various rural workforce support systems through public-private cooperation, including ▲supporting a total of 2.08 million people by expanding the Rural Workforce Brokerage Center ▲establishing stay-type farming work teams (a project to support farm labor by utilizing idle urban manpower in cooperation with local governments) ▲and manpower support for Ministry of Justice social order subjects.

Chairman Lee said, "To announce the start of the year's farming to the public and pray for a bountiful harvest, we held launch ceremonies simultaneously at NACF regional headquarters and city/county branches nationwide. NACF will promote various farming support measures with the intention of providing even small help to farmers struggling with rising labor costs and labor shortages, and will foster a boom in rural labor support."

Comprehensive NACF executives and employees have participated annually in company-wide rural labor support volunteer activities. Last year, when the labor shortage worsened due to restrictions on foreign workers' entry amid COVID-19, a record-high 116,000 people participated.