COVID-19 and the Spread of 'Nongchon Salligi' Sharing Initiative

Image provided by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daeseop] Sharing activities to support farms and distribution and sales companies affected by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) are spreading.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will hold a "Direct Sales Event for Farm Products from Production Areas" on the 24th and 31st of this month, involving 800 neighborhood supermarkets nationwide. This event allows customers to purchase seasonal agricultural products at affordable prices at locations where the event poster is displayed at the supermarket entrance.

In cooperation with the Korea Supermarket Cooperative Federation, onions and cucumbers, which have high demand, were selected as product categories. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups supports transportation costs and event promotion.

Additionally, the Federation and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation are linked to procure seasonal agricultural products at low prices from local agricultural cooperatives and other production area companies. Using small and medium distribution logistics centers, they reorganize the agricultural products into forms suitable for neighborhood supermarkets and establish a collaborative system to supply products in a timely manner.

Kwon Daesu, Director of the Small Business Policy Division at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "We will work with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, related organizations, and groups to regularly operate direct sales events for agricultural products to strengthen the product competitiveness of neighborhood supermarkets."

Yujin Group also held a signing ceremony for support of agricultural specialty products to encourage COVID-19 volunteers with the Community Chest of Korea on the 20th. This ceremony was organized to help farms in the Gyeongbuk region, which suffered the most damage due to the highest number of COVID-19 confirmed cases.

Yujin Group purchased 7,520 sets of agricultural specialty products and processed foods worth 100 million KRW through the shopping mall "Saiseo." These agricultural specialty products are provided to the Korea Central Volunteer Center through the Community Chest of Korea.

The support targets volunteers engaged in COVID-19 response activities such as public place quarantine support, disinfection, counseling, support for isolated individuals, mask production, and support for public mask sales. One set of agricultural specialty products is given per volunteer.

Kang Seongmo, Director of Yujin Group, said, "We hope this support will provide comfort and strength to many people who are striving to overcome the prolonged COVID-19 situation and contribute to the spread of sharing."

There is also a horticulturist who decided not to collect 200 million KRW in unpaid debts from rural customers while running an agriculture-related sole proprietorship. Horticulturist Kim Daeyong had been selling materials, seeds, and fertilizers, but due to customers who delayed payment or fled without paying, the amount of unpaid debts increased significantly, making management difficult, and he closed his business a year and a half ago.

While Kim was going around to collect the debts, COVID-19 occurred. Although he was in a position to collect the debts, seeing farmers struggling day by day because their carefully grown crops were not selling due to the COVID-19 impact, he felt more heartache for them than for himself and ultimately decided not to collect the full amount of the debts.

Kim was also selected as one of the "COVID-19 Heroes" chosen by the Small and Medium Business Love Sharing Foundation among cases that delivered hopeful messages to our society, which has been contracted due to COVID-19.