Hapcheon-gun Promotes On-site Consulting for Onion Producers

Onion Machine Formal Tray Seedling and Contribution to Storage Quality Improvement

Hapcheon-gun Agricultural Technology Center solves technical difficulties through on-site consulting for onion producers.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] The Hapcheon-gun Agricultural Technology Center in Gyeongnam, together with the National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, held a customized consulting session on the 20th at the Hapcheonho Nonghyup Agricultural Products Distribution Center (APC) and the onion mechanized farmers' research association nursery, where about 40 farmers gathered to address on-site technical difficulties related to onions.

The county recognized that tray seedling and pest and disease prevention technologies, which act as obstacles to the expansion of mechanized onion transplanting being promoted to improve the income of onion farming households by enhancing production, storage, and distribution technologies for onions with excellent storability and reducing labor, are important. Therefore, experts in this field were invited to conduct on-site consulting.

The farmers, who discussed basal fertilizer application, water management, topdressing techniques to improve the storability of onions produced in the hot summer, as well as cold storage management and various problems occurring during transportation, said that hearing the know-how of experts on production and storage was very helpful.

Members of the Onion Mechanized Farmers' Research Association, who received consulting on tray seedling and related pest and disease prevention technologies that act as obstacles to the expansion of mechanized onion transplanting promoted by Hapcheon-gun to address rural labor shortages and reduce labor costs, said, “Receiving on-site education on improved tray disinfection methods to increase effectiveness and nursery facility operation guidelines seems to solve many concerns, and we ask research institutions such as the Rural Development Administration to continue to pay attention to field issues in the future.”

In addition, Lee Jae-sook, head of agricultural guidance, expressed gratitude to the officials of the Horticultural and Herbal Science Institute and professional consultants who traveled a long way in the hot weather to jointly consider field problems, saying, “If frontline agricultural sites, guidance, and research institutions work together, many difficult problems faced in the field can be resolved,” and stated that consulting opportunities for other crops will be arranged if necessary.