MAFRA Proposes ‘K-agriculture Vision’: MOF Focuses on 4 Policies to Nurture Maritime Strategy Industries

President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during business briefing session from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries at the guest house of Cheong Wa Dae on Jan. 4. (Photos on the courtesy of the Presidential Office)

President Yoon Suk-yeol received a business briefing for the year 2023 each from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) at the guest house of Cheong Wa Dae on Jan. 4.

President Yoon told MAFRA Minister Chung Hwang-and Minister Cho Seung-hwa of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) to push the export drive by raising productivity.

President Yoon said, “MAFRA and MOF are responsible for the food sector, and it is important to raise the efficiency and productivity of the agriculture and livestock industries, maritime and fisheries sectors.”

Among about 140 people on hand at the briefing session were MAFRA Minister Chung Hwang-keun, MOF Minster Cho Seung-hwan, Administrator Cho Chae-ho of the Rural Development Administration (RDA), Minister Nam Sung-hyun of Korea Forest Service, Commissioner General Kim Jong-uk of Korea Coast Guard.

(left) Minister Chung Hwang-keun of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and Minister Cho Seung-hwan of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries attend a meeting with reporters after giving a business briefing for the year 2023 to President Yoon.

In the business briefing under the theme “K-agriculture, Pursuing Endless Agricultural Innovation and Making a Leap in the Future” MAFRA announced core tasks, such as grain security, industrialization of the agricultural industry, strengthening of a safety net for farming management and building of new farming villages.

Specifically, the ministry reported on core plans, such as expanding of major gain production and stockpile, spreading and upgrading of smart farming, targeting to log agro-food exports worth $10 billion, expanding of international cooperation, such as official development assistance (ODA), and widening of a subsidy system and easing of management cost burden.

In the briefing, titled “The Maritime Industry, Pursuing Innovation and Korea and Making a Leap Forward,” MOF reported on four policies to nurture the marine strategy industry: international logistics (shipping/port), blue food (fishing industry), maritime mobility (shipping safety/sailing), and maritime leisure tourism.

The ministry also announced steps to reinvigorate island and coastal areas and cope with coastal disasters.

MAFRA plans to overhaul systems and policies so farmers and people’s creativity and potential can be demonstrated based on autonomy and markets, while caring for those in vulnerable economic brackets who have been marginalized, via agricultural innovation through solidarity and cooperation and competition.

MAFRA plans to implement four policy tasks: food security, future growth industrialization, a farming management safety net and the creation of new agricultural spaces, and strengthening animals’ welfare.

MAFRA has set the goal of seeing agro-food exports rise to $10 billion in 2023 and $15 billion by 2027.

To this end, the ministry plans to work out tightly knit support regimes and export Korean “smart farm “technologies to new markets.

MAFRA plans to operate “K-Food+ Export Expansion Headquarters,” comprising of food, smart farm, agricultural machinery and seed companies, local governments, and related organizations.

MAFRA’s minister, chief of the headquarters, will oversee solving complaints and grievances related to exports that agro-food, smart farms and agricultural machinery companies experience, and explore projects to promote collaboration with the private sector.

The government plans to open 20 new “outstanding” restaurants in cities, such as New York, Paris and Tokyo to expand K-food exports utilizing hallyu (Korean Wave), spreading to the world.