Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Promotes Mechanization of Garlic and Onion "Responding to Labor Shortage in Rural Areas"

The government is expanding support for mechanization in field farming, such as garlic and onions, to address labor shortages in rural areas.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 23rd that it will collaborate with 15 local governments to respond to rural labor shortages by utilizing garlic and onion farming machinery in preparation for the busy farming season in June, when garlic and onion harvesting intensifies.

The ministry recognizes the need for a breakthrough improvement in the stagnant mechanization rate of field farming, considering labor shortages and rising labor costs during the harvest season of field crops. Accordingly, support for mechanization in field farming will be significantly expanded from 6 cities and counties in 2023 to 15 cities and counties in 2024.

Fifteen cities and counties with excellent conditions for garlic and onion mechanization were selected, setting a mechanization target at 38% of the total mechanizable area across these 15 cities and counties. The budget for this was increased from 5 billion KRW in 2023 to 8.2 billion KRW in 2024.

From the second half of 2023, local governments recruited participating farmers mainly through crop groups and regional agricultural cooperatives, and visited leading mechanization local governments to acquire know-how. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs checks the progress of local governments weekly and listens to any difficulties encountered during mechanization efforts.

This year, local governments are purchasing farming machinery necessary for mechanization, such as diggers. All machinery is expected to be purchased by the end of this month, and preparations will be completed in advance through machinery operation training and annual meetings for farmers in May, aiming to mechanize the harvesting of garlic and onions in June, the peak harvest season.

Moon Tae-seop, Director of the Advanced Equipment and Seeds Division at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "Increasing the mechanization rate in field farming (63.3%), which is lower compared to paddy farming (99.3%), is an important task to address the issues of rural population decline and aging. As the government is pushing forward with field farming mechanization at a rapid pace, we hope for active interest and participation from local governments and farmers."