On-site Meeting of Subtropical Fruit Crop Development TF Promotion Group Held
City, Citrus Growers, and Young Farmers Share Communication and Information
Young farmers in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, are drawing attention as they take on the challenge of cultivating citrus fruits, a new income crop, in response to climate change.
Citrus fruits such as Cheonhyehyang, Redhyang, and Hwanggeumhyang are subtropical crops that have recently become cultivable due to climate change.
To quickly respond to these changing trends in the agricultural environment, Gumi City formed a Subtropical Fruit Crop Development Task Force in April and began providing full support so that subtropical fruit crops can become a source of increased income for local farms and young farmers.
On the 28th of last month, more than 50 leading farmers cultivating subtropical fruits in the area and young successor farmers gathered for an on-site meeting. First, they toured Sunshine Farm, a leading farm in citrus cultivation, and shared cultivation techniques and market insights with CEO Park Hwijin.
The young farmers freely exchanged opinions through Q&A and discussions on the importance of initial facility investment and ways to foster new farms. Afterwards, a roundtable was held with 21 young farmers who have established themselves in field crops, fruit farming, livestock, and rice farming.
To help alleviate the biggest burden of securing farmland for agricultural settlement, the Farmland Bank Team (Team Leader Shin Seongyong) of the Korea Rural Community Corporation Gumi-Gimcheon Branch provided information on the Farmland Bank project and support programs for young farmers.
Through this on-site meeting, the city plans to collect a wide range of on-site difficulties related to citrus cultivation, discover policy projects, secure related budgets, and promote the future activation of citrus agriculture.
In addition, various programs will be prepared, such as expanding specialized education, regularizing roundtables, operating a youth council, and joint benchmarking, so that young farmers can gain broad experience in agricultural management and acquire new skills.
Most notably, with the selection of the Gumi-Gunwi Expressway construction project as a preliminary feasibility study target on the 25th of last month, the travel time to the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated New Airport will be reduced to within 20 minutes, opening up prospects for export markets for local agricultural products.
Deputy Mayor Kim Hoseop said, "The agricultural environment is rapidly changing due to climate change, an aging population, and the introduction of smart farming, and interest in cultivating citrus fruits is increasing with the spread of subtropical climates. We will strive to develop a leading subtropical cultivation complex led by young farmers so that it can become a core project driving a major transformation in agriculture."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
