In his New Year message, Minister Suh Kyu-yong of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MIFAFF) said the government will implement policies to develop agricultural and fishing areas into dynamic and well-to-do communities.

Minister Suh emphasized that the government will fundamentally revamp the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and food industries to overcome the repercussions of free trade agreements (FTAs), saying, "The widening of markets in the wake of the implementation of FTAs with the United States and the European Union poses not only a crisis for us, but also opportunities."

He said his ministry plans to concentrate its support to young professional farming and fishing businesspeople so as to enhance their competitive edge through the modernization of facilities while strengthening welfare support to aged farmers, those in marginal farming, and the underprivileged. Specifically, he said, the government will pour 10 trillion won into the modernization of agriculture and fishing facilities over the next 10 years and nourish 2,500 young fishing and agriculture professional businesspeople per year. 

The MIFAFF will make massive investments into R&D projects to secure future growth drivers in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and food industries, he said.   nw