Visit to Apple Orchard with Minister Song Miryeong of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
Encouraging On-site Efforts While Checking Growth During Flowering Season
"We Will Make Every Effort to Support Recovery of Farms Affected by Wildfires"
Choi Sang-mok, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Strategy and Finance, stated on the 9th, "We will establish 60 specialized smart orchard complexes by 2030 to build a stable production base despite climate change," and added, "We will continue to expand disaster prevention facilities."
Deputy Prime Minister Choi, along with Song Mi-ryeong, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, visited Naepo Farm (an apple orchard) in Yesan County, Chungnam, in the afternoon to encourage the efforts of orchard producers who are facing increasing difficulties due to recent abnormal climate conditions. Naepo Farm is a smart orchard with stable production despite climate change, equipped with various disaster prevention facilities such as hail damage prevention systems, sunshade nets, insect nets, windbreak nets, and unmanned watering facilities.
From the left, Song Mi-ryeong, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and Choi Sang-mok, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, are visiting Naepo Farm (apple orchard) in Yesan-gun, Chungnam, on the afternoon of the 9th, listening to an explanation about the smart orchard from officials. Photo by Ministry of Economy and Finance
Deputy Prime Minister Choi and Minister Song visited the site to check the growth status during the apple flowering period and the progress of smart orchard establishment, as well as to encourage orchard farmers. They toured disaster prevention facilities such as mobile hot air wind fans (devices that make fixed hot air wind fans, which spread wind widely over the cultivation area, movable on the ground) and unmanned watering facilities, and inspected the orchard cultivation status and flowering conditions.
At the site, Deputy Prime Minister Choi urged local governments, the Rural Development Administration, and the Korea Agricultural Cooperative (NongHyup) officials, saying, "Fruits are items closely related to the perceived inflation rate," and requested thorough management of growth during the flowering period. Minister Song said, "The direct damage area to orchards caused by wildfires is limited," and added, "We will minimize the impact on agricultural product supply and demand through thorough growth management." She continued, "To respond to intensifying abnormal climate, we plan to steadily promote the diversification of production and supply bases, including the spread of smart agriculture and the development of new production areas, aiming for stable agricultural product supply management."
An official from the Rural Development Administration attending the site explained, "This year, the full bloom period for pears and peaches is expected to be in early to mid-month, and for apples in mid to late month," adding, "They are growing smoothly." However, the official mentioned, "Since the recent wildfire-affected areas are major production areas for apples and plums, we plan to analyze the impact on fruit supply and demand by conducting damage surveys of orchard cultivation complexes and checking flowering conditions."
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Choi and Minister Song announced that they will make every effort to ensure the prompt resumption of farming and the return to daily life for farmers affected by recent wildfires in Ulsan, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam regions. The government is investing more than 400 billion won in equipment and facility restoration and emergency living stabilization funds. A detailed wildfire damage recovery plan will be prepared within this month.
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