Jindo-gun Holds Field Demonstration of Garlic Mechanical Seeding

Expansion of Garlic Cultivation Area to Develop Winter Green Onion Alternative Crops

[Jindo=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Nam-jung] Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do held a 'Garlic Mechanical Seeding Field Demonstration' to promote mechanization of garlic seeding.

About 100 people attended the field demonstration held on the 12th, including Kim Hee-su, Jindo-gun governor, Jang Young-woo, chairman, officials from the Rural Development Administration and the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, members of the Jindo-gun Garlic Research Association, and farmers, while complying with COVID-19 quarantine rules.

The demonstration proceeded with on-site demonstrations of two types of garlic seeders (6-row and 8-row tractor-mounted) and a garlic clove separator, along with exhibitions and viewings of Namdo garlic, Danyeong garlic, Daeseo garlic, and others.

Through the demonstration, Jindo-gun expects to change farmers' perception of mechanical garlic seeding, encouraging the shift from conventional manual seeding to mechanized seeding, which is anticipated to reduce labor and cut labor costs.

Jindo-gun, the nation's largest winter green onion production area, had a smaller garlic cultivation area due to higher production costs such as labor compared to green onions. However, through mechanized farming, it plans to increase the cultivation area by more than 100 hectares by 2025 and continuously expand as a high-quality garlic production region.

The average yield of warm-region garlic such as Namdo garlic is 5kg per 3.3㎡. According to data from the Seoul Agricultural & Marine Products Corporation, the average price at Garak-dong Market over five years is around 26,000 KRW per 5kg, providing stable income compared to winter green onions.

Kim Hee-su, Jindo-gun governor, stated, "Mechanization must be promoted to solve the chronic labor shortage problem along with rural aging," and added, "It is expected that the difficulties faced by garlic farmers will be resolved through this demonstration."

Jindo=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Nam-jung gabrielw@asiae.co.kr

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