Chairman Lee Gae-ho Urges Ministry of Agriculture to Address Export Delays at Handong

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Lee Gaeho, Chairman of the Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, and Maritime Affairs Committee (Democratic Party·Damyang Hampyeong Yeonggwang Jangseong), pointed out the sluggishness of the Agricultural Meister system and the delay in the export of live pigs to Hong Kong promoted by local governments during the national audit on the 23rd, urging the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to take active measures.

The Agricultural Meister, a professional agricultural manager system aimed at fostering successor farmers, is a program implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Starting with 103 people in 2013, currently 224 individuals are designated across 35 items in 5 agricultural fields.

However, the budget for related educational support has remained stagnant at 300 million won since 2014, covering only 20% of the field demand.

Due to the lack of an efficient education system utilizing related personnel, the education level remains at a basic consulting level.

Chairman Lee stated, “There are criticisms that the Agricultural Meister system is not properly conducting on-site agricultural education, consulting, mentoring, and educational projects to achieve its original goals due to budget shortages and inefficient utilization of related personnel,” adding, “Since the help of nationally certified agricultural experts is essential for the early settlement of young job-creating farmers and return-to-farming migrants, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs should strive to revitalize the Agricultural Meister system through expanding related budgets and researching efficient utilization methods.”

He also said, “Currently, local governments are promoting the ‘export of live pigs to Hong Kong,’ and cooperation from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is necessary for the export to proceed. However, the Ministry’s handling of export-related documents required by Hong Kong is delayed, causing difficulties for Korean pork exporters,” and emphasized, “Our live pig exports are important for enhancing the status and development of the domestic pig farming industry, so the Ministry must promptly process the documents requested by Hong Kong to ensure swift export.”