The agriculture ministry is hopeful that the move will help create more than 4,300 jobs over the next few years in the burgeoning smart farming industry. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, April 17 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean government has announced plans to create 4,300 jobs in the smart agriculture industry by 2022.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs revealed measures to attract young workers into smart farming by providing training courses and building large-scale smart farm complexes during a meeting with financial officials on Monday.
Smart farming brings information and communications technology to greenhouses and livestock farms and allows farmers to remotely control the growing environment of crops and animals through smartphones and computers.
The latest announcement focuses on creating innovation models, a shift from the previous plan to introduce smart farming at existing farms, under which young entrepreneurs and farmers will be trained and other related businesses will be supported.
Training courses will be available from next year and will last for 20 months, with plans to create 600 professionals by 2022.
In addition, young farmers who complete the courses will be given government subsidies to open a smart farming business on 30 hectares of land that will be allotted to them, while agricultural loans at lower interest rates will be available for both new and experienced farmers.
Plans to build a smart farm test site are also underway where research projects, exhibitions and tests will take place to help enhance the competitiveness of South Korean smart farms.
The South Korean government has announced plans to create 4,300 jobs in the smart agriculture industry by 2022. (Image: Ministry of Agriculture)
Through joint efforts between research institutes and companies, the government is poised to establish South Korea’s own Priva, a Dutch company that produces the world’s highest quality climate control systems.
A total of four smart farming innovation valleys will be built across the country by 2022, multi-purpose venues consisting of a training center, smart farms for rent, and a test site.
The agriculture ministry is hopeful that the move will help create more than 4,300 jobs over the next few years in the burgeoning smart farming industry.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
