Jeongseon County Holds 'Agricultural Policy Council'... Urges Extraordinary Measures Against Soaring Input Costs and Climate Disasters

Jeongseon County Holds 2026 Agricultural Policy Council
Gathering Voices from the Field... Focusing on Building a Sustainable Agricultural Foundation
Enhancing Policy Effectiveness Through Discussion of Over 50 Policy Proposals

Jeongseon County in Gangwon Province (Governor Choi Seungjun) and the Jeongseon County Agricultural Council (Chairman Jeon Yongpyo) held the "2026 Agricultural Policy Council" on the 23rd at the Bukpyeong-myeon Comprehensive Welfare Center to gather voices from the agricultural field and seek practical response measures.

Jeongseon County and Jeongseon County Agricultural Council held the "2026 Agricultural Policy Council" on the 23rd at Bukpyeong-myeon Comprehensive Welfare Center to gather voices from the agricultural field and seek practical response measures, and are taking a commemorative photo. Provided by Jeongseon County

This meeting was organized by the Jeongseon County Agricultural Council and attended by about 80 participants, including Choi Seungjun, Governor of Jeongseon County; Jeon Youngki, Chairman of the County Council; Kim Boseong, Head of the Nonghyup Branch; officials from the Agricultural Policy Division, Distribution and Livestock Division, Agricultural Technology Center; as well as heads of subcommittees and directors of the Agricultural Council.

The council focused on the challenging realities facing the agricultural sector due to global instability and abnormal climate conditions.

Recently, prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict, escalating tensions in the Middle East, and intensifying US-China trade disputes have contributed to ongoing global instability. As a result, prices of agricultural inputs, including fertilizers and feed, have soared, significantly increasing the management costs for farming households. Additionally, the problem of labor shortages caused by a declining rural population has become severe. Although there is reliance on foreign seasonal workers from countries such as Laos, even this labor supply falls short of demand.

This year in particular, record-breaking heatwaves and droughts were followed by an unusual autumn rainy season that began during the Chuseok holiday, resulting in significant damage to crop production. Insufficient sunlight and an increase in pests and diseases have led to reduced yields and lower quality, directly impacting farm incomes.

Jeon Yongpyo, Chairman of the Agricultural Council, stated, "The reality faced by farmers is more desperate than ever, and this year, in particular, we have suffered severe setbacks due to overlapping adverse events such as record droughts, heatwaves, and an autumn rainy season during the harvest period." He emphasized, "The government and local authorities must confront the fundamental challenges in agriculture and come up with extraordinary measures that provide real support to farmers."

Choi Seungjun, Governor of Jeongseon County, said, "I am well aware of the difficulties faced by farmers who continue their work under challenging conditions." He added, "We will thoroughly review the voices from the agricultural field to strengthen county-level support measures, and as Chairman of the National Council of County Governors for Rural Areas, I will do my utmost to work with Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to develop practical response measures at the central government level."

Meanwhile, during this council, in-depth discussions took place as administrative departments such as the Agricultural Policy Division, Distribution and Livestock Division, and Agricultural Technology Center provided sincere responses to more than 50 agricultural and rural policy proposals submitted by the ten subcommittees of the Jeongseon County Agricultural Council (including horticulture, livestock, rural development, food crops, and return-to-farming/rural migration subcommittees).

In particular, the meeting served as a platform for the advancement of agriculture in Jeongseon, with active consideration given to initiatives such as the agricultural input price reduction support project, small packaging material support project, cold storage facility support project, foreign seasonal worker support project, smart agriculture promotion, return-to-farming and rural migration support project, livestock farm support project, livestock disease prevention project, and agricultural marketing and distribution projects.

Jeongseon County and the Agricultural Council announced that they will continue to focus on enhancing the effectiveness of policies through close communication with farmers and on establishing a sustainable foundation for agriculture and rural communities.