Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Promotion Corp. (aT) brought together people in the agro-fisheries, food and distribution industries to a New Year’s meeting to give words of encouragement over achievements and solicit solidarity and development at the aT Center in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, on Jan. 20.
About 250 people in the agro-fisheries, food and distribution industries businesses participated in the gathering. Deputy Minister Kim Gyeong-gyu of the Food Industry Policy Office at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) also had a session to explain the government’s 2017 agriculture policies in an era of changes and innovation, and he had a meeting to discuss the development direction of aT’s agro-fisheries and food industries, and supply-demand/distribution sectors.
aT President Yeo In-hong said, “We at aT, celebrating the 50th anniversary, will devote ourselves to increasing the incomes of those in the agro-fisheries industries and promoting their development by living up to its missions, including supply-demand stabilization.” He called for those in the agro-fisheries, food and distribution industries to make concerted efforts to overcome the difficulties they experience.
aT has decided to do its utmost to raise the values of the agro-fisheries and food industries by fulfilling its functions, such as the improving of distribution networks, the strengthening of export competitiveness, and the fostering of the food industry.
“This year, the agro-fisheries and food industries are forecast to be faced with numerous difficulties, including the unstable global economy, the aging of people in the agriculture industry, a decline in rice consumption, and the enforcement of the new anti-craft law,” aT President Yeo said.
aT plans to strengthen steps to stabilize supply and demand of agro-fisheries products while upgrading an integrated supply-demand system and stabilizing agricultural prices through contract cultivation.
The corporate plans to promote a win-win paradigm between producers and consumers by creating a distribution regime in which producers sell at reasonable prices and consumers buy the same way through the providing of diverse sales channels between the two sides and the acceleration of competition among distribution channels. To this end, local food outlets, cyber exchanges and other distribution channels are used to induce reasonable consumption, while new distribution channels tailored to meet new consumption trends as the expansion of one-person households will be explored.
aT also plans to raise distribution efficiency of agricultural produce by ramping up competitiveness of production organizations and overhauling support to improve the operation of wholesale markets.
As part of efforts to strengthen the competitiveness of agricultural exports and diversifying exports, aT plans to explore new export items, which will bring about incomes directly to people in the agro-fisheries industries and conduct diverse marketing activities.
The corporation plans to do not spare efforts to provide support for eliminating non-tariff barriers, being caused by protectionist moves of the new U.S. President Trump administration and China’s sanctions against Korea in retaliation for the installation of the U.S. THAAD system in South Korea.
aT plans to create the values of people in the agro-fisheries industries by developing Korean-made food materials for multinational food makers while providing growth bridges tailored to strengthen the competitiveness of SME food makers.
The corporation plans to expand platforms to explore the traditional Korean food industry’s markets.
Following the New Year’s meeting, aT held a ceremony to sign a 2nd MOU on “aT Food Dream Happiness-Sharing Team” involving the corporation, 31 companies graduating an educational program with aT Agro-Food Distribution Educational Institute and 10 social welfare bodies.
About 250 people in the agro-fisheries, food and distribution industries, including Deputy Minister Kim Gyeong-gyu of the Food Industry Policy Office at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), participate in the gathering. (Photos: aT)
