Naju City Expands Support for Pear Farmers Suffering from Sunburn Damage

710 Million KRW Invested for Agricultural Material Purchases
Applications Accepted at Local Administrative Offices Until March 5

Yoon Byungtae, mayor of Naju, is seen listening to the difficulties of pear orchard farmers affected by last year's hail damage. Provided by Naju City

Naju City, Jeonnam announced on the 27th that it will provide support for agricultural material purchase costs to pear farms that suffered severe sunburn damage last year.

Sunburn damage occurs when the surface of fruit is scorched and burned due to direct sunlight and high temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius. The fruit becomes soft or, in severe cases, necrosis occurs, causing it to lose its commercial value.

Naju City, the largest pear-producing region in the country, will invest 710 million KRW in reserve funds for an agricultural material support project to help pear farms affected by sunburn recover quickly and stabilize the supply of pears.

Eligible recipients are farms with pear orchards of at least 1,000 square meters (0.1 ha) that shipped more than 500 kg of pears after Chuseok in 2024, when significant sunburn damage was confirmed. The support items are five categories: pear bags, pesticides, fertilizers, nutrients, and mating disruption agents. Domestic farms can receive up to 300,000 KRW per hectare, while export farms can receive up to 500,000 KRW per hectare.

Farmers wishing to participate in the project must visit the local administrative welfare center for their orchard's location by March 5 to apply. If selected as a recipient, they can choose and purchase agricultural materials at a local Nonghyup designated by the applicant until the end of June.

Mayor Yoon Byungtae said, "Through support for agricultural materials for pear farms affected by sunburn, we hope to stabilize the supply of Naju pears and help alleviate the financial burden of farming households facing difficult management conditions, contributing to the production of high-quality Naju pears."