Geochang-gun Holds Council Meeting to Address Rural Labor Shortage

Agricultural Organizations and Institutions Collaborate to Devise Countermeasures

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Geochang-gun, Gyeongnam Province held a countermeasure council meeting to address the shortage of rural labor, gathering agricultural sector institutions and organizations in the large conference room of the county office.

At the meeting held on the 22nd, 23 participants including representatives from Geochang-gun, the Nonghyup (National Agricultural Cooperative Federation), agricultural organizations, and employment agencies attended. Discussions were held on the current status of rural labor in Geochang-gun, policies and achievements by each institution, introduction of support cases from other local governments, and plans for a pilot project to resolve the labor shortage.

Recently, the shortage of rural labor has intensified due to the decrease and aging of the rural population, and many farmers are expressing difficulties as labor costs have risen significantly compared to the increase in crop prices.

Gyeongnam Geochang-gun Rural Labor Shortage Countermeasure Council Group.

In response, the county held the countermeasure council meeting to consolidate the labor shortage resolution policies that had been sporadically promoted by the county, Nonghyup Bank, and local Nonghyup branches, and to seek cooperative linkage plans and discuss policies for more fundamental problem-solving.

Going forward, the county plans to establish a legal basis for supporting farm labor through the “Full Revision of the Ordinance on Support for Resolving Rural Labor Shortage in Geochang-gun” and set wage guidelines to implement policies that can provide practical help to farmers.

County Governor Goo In-mo stated, “To overcome the difficult agricultural reality, it is necessary to actively promote measures that farmers can feel and that are realistic.”

Geochang-gun introduced a foreign seasonal worker program in 2022 and attracted the largest number of 246 foreign seasonal workers in Gyeongsangnam-do. It is also implementing various policies to alleviate rural labor shortages, such as operating a rural labor brokerage center and volunteer activities to assist rural labor.