Gyeonggi-do, '30% Increase in Agricultural and Fishery Income Within 3 Years' Agricultural and Fishery Worker Selection Audition

Gyeonggi Province held auditions on the 17th and 20th at Goyang KINTEX and Suwon Convention Center to select 50 farmers and fishermen to participate in the "Agricultural and Fishery Income 333 Project." A participant is talking about their farming methods.

Gyeonggi Province held auditions on the 17th and 20th at Goyang KINTEX and Suwon Convention Center to select 50 farmers and fishermen to participate in the 'Agricultural and Fishery Income 333 Project.'

This project is one of the key initiatives of the 8th term of the provincial government. To increase agricultural and fishery income, which has stagnated for 10 years, Gyeonggi Province plans to select 300 farmers and fishermen and provide management analysis, sector-specific consulting, and education with the goal of improving agricultural and fishery income by 30% within three years.

The auditions, held twice, departed from the traditional evaluation method that scores participants based on age, gender, experience, and farm size. Instead, the judging considered the participants' management philosophy, vision, and future aspirations.

The most notable participant in the audition on the 20th was a 74-year-old oldest contestant from Anseong City, who calmly shared stories of farming for over 40 years and presented his farming philosophy along with bold aspirations that rival those of young farmers.

A 24-year-old young farmer from Hwaseong City, who has been cultivating rice for two years, introduced his vision as a young successor farmer. His goal is to become a master of rice farming by inheriting the family business from his parents, and he announced ambitious plans to revitalize the aging rural community as a young agriculturalist.

Gyeonggi Province will provide the selected farmers and fishermen with customized consulting from experts in various fields, diverse education in areas desired by the farmers and fishermen, and support for facilities and equipment over the next three years.

Gong Jeong-sik, Director of the Gyeonggi Province Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Life Sciences, stated, "Gyeonggi Province plans to actively support the income increase of farmers and fishermen," adding, "In addition to the 50 selected through the audition, we plan to select an additional 250 through rolling recruitment."