NongHyup expands smart farms, seasonal labor to back government's agricultural overhaul

The National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, known as NongHyup, is stepping up efforts in smart farming, rural labor support and welfare services in line with the government's sweeping agricultural policy overhaul.

NongHyup said Monday it is actively pursuing 43 priority initiatives tied to the government's core agricultural reform agenda.

Among the top priorities is accelerating the spread of smart farming among small and midsize farms. The cooperative plans to expand its subsidized smart farm installations from 1,600 sites last year to around 2,000 this year. Starting in the second quarter, it has also been rolling out field-based smart farm consulting services.

NongHyup is also scaling up its public seasonal labor program to ease rural labor shortages. It has confirmed 142 participating cooperatives this year and plans to supply 5,039 seasonal workers. The cooperative aims to grow the number of participating units to 200 by 2030.

Cultivating young farmers is another key focus. NongHyup has confirmed 8,526 households participating in its Hanwoo Root Farm Development Program, which supports the expansion of quality calf production. The cooperative also plans to run an agri-industry value chain education program jointly with Korea National University of Agriculture and Fisheries.

NongHyup is pushing ahead with agricultural distribution reforms as well. It has set a target of 130 billion won (about $86 million) in online wholesale market transactions this year, recording 37.5 billion won in the first quarter. The cooperative plans to grow transaction volume to around 200 billion won by 2030.

Rural welfare services are being expanded, too. NongHyup plans to operate its rural mobile medical bus 353 times this year; as of the end of March, about 14,000 people had used its medical and welfare services. The cooperative has also expanded its mobile market from 15 to 18 locations and plans to reach 20 by year's end.

NongHyup is also working to boost exports of Korean food products. This year, it has been pursuing new export markets through participation in the Tokyo International Food Exhibition in Japan and a Hanwoo launch event in Singapore.

"We will actively support the government's agricultural policies — including smart farming assistance and the expansion of the public seasonal labor program — by leveraging the nationwide NongHyup network," NongHyup Chairman Kang Ho-dong said. "We will serve as a steadfast partner in the transformation of agriculture and rural communities."