Ganghwa County Opens Applications for Field Crop Work Outsourcing Project

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Ganghwa County announced on the 6th that it is implementing a 'field crop work outsourcing project' to respond to structural changes in agriculture caused by population decline, aging, and feminization in rural areas.

The field crop work outsourcing project supports work desired by farmers using agricultural machinery such as tractors and power tillers for land preparation, ridge formation, and mulching. The service fees are set at 150 won per 3.3 square meters for land preparation, 100 won per 3.3 square meters for ridge formation, and 250 won per 3.3 square meters for mulching—half the market price to minimize the burden on farmers. However, plastic sheeting for mulching must be purchased separately.

Applications will be accepted through March 19th at the Ganghwa County Agricultural Technology Center's farm machinery bank main office and branch offices (Gyeodong, Nambu, Bukbu, and Samsan). Applicants must be farmers aged 70 or older (born in 1951) registered in the county's farmland register, or widows living alone, with farmland of 330 square meters (100 pyeong) to 1,650 square meters (500 pyeong). However, Seodo-myeon area, Seogeomd Island, and Mibeop Island are not eligible.

For more details on the project, refer to the Ganghwa County Agricultural Technology Center website or call (032-930-4174~8).

A county official stated, "We have expanded the eligibility criteria from farmers aged 75 and above to those aged 70 and above to provide benefits to more farmers," adding, "We will make every effort to solve the chronic labor shortage problem in rural areas and strengthen agricultural competitiveness by reducing farming management costs."