South Korea plans to boost farm exports, food self-sufficiency

South Korea on Wednesday revealed a set of measures to develop the country's agriculture industry and rural areas that are also designed to boost its farm exports and self-sufficiency of food. The five-year plan was reviewed and approved at a Cabinet meeting, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Through its development plan, the government will seek to boost the country's agricultural output to 50 trillion won (US$46.55 billion) in 2017 from 46.4 trillion won in 2012, also raising the country's self-sufficiency rate for grains from 23.6 percent to 30 percent over the cited period. It will also seek to nearly double the country's exports of agricultural products from $5.6 billion in 2012 to $10 billion in 2017, Vice Minister Yeo In-hong told a press briefing. To this end, the government will help modernize some 3,700 facilities for livestock farms throughout the country by 2017 while also providing support for the construction of new and advanced greenhouses made of vinyl and glass on 5,000 hectares of land by 2020. Efforts to boost the country's agricultural output and exports will include inducing more young and capable workers to farms, according to the vice minister. The government seeks to increase the number of households returning to farms from 27,000 in 2012 to 30,000 in 2017, boosting the country's rural population from 17.7 percent of the total to 19 percent.