[FTA That Changed Agriculture]⑦ "Unity Is Survival"... Less Labor for 'Sorting and Packing', Higher Profits

Fostering Cooperative Management Entities Through FTA Supplementary Measures
APC Takes Over Sorting, Packing, and Distribution Previously Handled by Farms
Focusing on Crop Management to Improve Quality, Productivity, and Profitability

"During cucumber harvest season, we start farm work at 5 a.m. and continue harvesting until it gets dark around 8 p.m. But that's not the end. After sorting cucumbers by size and shape and packing them into boxes, it's already 1 a.m. From June to October, I only get about four hours of sleep a day. It became so exhausting that I thought I couldn't keep doing this, which is why I joined the Cucumber Shipping Association." (Bongki Kim, Chairman of the Seoseok Nonghyup Cucumber Shipping Association)

On December 2, I visited Seoseok Nonghyup, located in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province. Seoseok Nonghyup operates an Agricultural Product Distribution Center (APC) that sorts, packs, and distributes cucumbers shipped from farms in the Seoseok-myeon area.

In June this year, workers are sorting cucumbers at the Seoseok Nonghyup Agricultural Product Distribution Center (APC). Seoseok Nonghyup

Bongki Kim, Chairman of the Cucumber Shipping Association at Seoseok Nonghyup, whom I met that day, explained that the cooperative management system helps reduce the labor intensity for each farm. In Gangwon Province, cucumber cultivation begins in early April with the planting of seedlings. Harvesting continues for four months, from early June to mid-October, which is the busiest time for cucumber farmers. Kim emphasized, "Harvesting, sorting, packing, and loading cucumbers onto trucks throughout the harvest season is physically demanding. However, by shipping to the APC, post-harvest processes are handled collectively, which allows us to rest more and inspect the crops again to improve quality."

Although the Seoseok Cucumber Shipping Association was established in 2005, it only began to function as a full-fledged cooperative management entity around 2022. Previously, sorting and packing were done using part of Seoseok Nonghyup's grain warehouse, but with the 'Field Crop Industry Development Project' under the 2021-2022 Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Domestic Supplementary Measures, the modernization of the APC enabled full-scale joint sorting and packing. At that time, Seoseok Nonghyup invested a total of 1 billion won (with 100 million won self-funded) to strengthen farm capabilities through farmer education and the operation of a main production area council. To reduce production costs, forklifts and automated cucumber sorting machines were purchased, and improvements were made to the APC environment and hygiene and rest facilities in the sorting area.

As the association developed into a cooperative management body through farmer education and facility expansion, the volume handled by the APC increased significantly. According to Seoseok Nonghyup, the volume handled was only 1,001 tons before receiving support through the FTA supplementary measures, but in the first year of support, it surged to 1,288 tons.

As part of the 2022 FTA Domestic Supplementary Measures for the Field Crop Industry Development Project, Bongki Kim, Chairman of the Cucumber Shipping Association at Seoseok Nonghyup (third from the left), is taking a commemorative photo with affiliated farmers after cucumber cultivation technology training. Seoseok Nonghyup

Due to the aging population in the region, the number of participating farms has remained steady at around 22 to 23, but the cultivation area per farm increased from 25 hectares before project support to 30 hectares in 2025, resulting in a sharp rise in the APC's transaction volume. The transaction amount rose from 2.5 billion won before the project to 2.81 billion won in 2021, and this year it reached 3.42 billion won.

The reason farms have been able to expand their cucumber cultivation area is that joint sorting, packing, and distribution allow them to secure more time and labor to devote to farming itself. Kim explained, "From a farmer's perspective, it seems like doing everything from farming to sales would earn the most money, but that's only half true. By handling sorting and packing collectively through the APC, farmers have more time to manage their crops, which allows them to expand cultivation areas and increase profits."

Kim, who has been farming cucumbers for 18 years, also expanded his cultivation area from 2,000 pyeong (6,611 square meters) in 2015 to 8,000 pyeong this year. He said, "Since I no longer have to do sorting and packing at home, I can focus solely on crop management, which lets me plant and harvest more cucumbers. As the cultivation area increased, so did the harvest." The same is true for Joo Inseon, a farmer who began joint cucumber sorting through the association this year. Before joining in 2022, Joo produced 59 tons of cucumbers annually from 2,200 pyeong of land, but this year, after expanding the cultivation area to 4,200 pyeong, the harvest reached 73.4 tons. Sales revenue more than doubled, rising from 96 million won to 223 million won.

Kim Junho, Head of Distribution Management at Seoseok Nonghyup, said, "Productivity is increasing as farm labor decreases and efficiency improves with the introduction of automated sorting machines. The support provided through the FTA supplementary measures is helping to offset the decline in labor among aging farmers and is leading to increased profits."

<Production Support: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs · Korea Rural Economic Institute>