NH Agricultural Cooperative Federation Chairman Kang Ho-dong (second from right) inspects a water pump provided to a farm in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, on Friday, as the area suffers severe crop damage from prolonged heat and drought. [NH Agricultural Cooperative]
NH Agricultural Cooperative Federation Chairman Kang Ho-dong (second from right) inspects a water pump provided to a farm in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, on Friday, as the area suffers severe crop damage from prolonged heat and drought. [NH Agricultural Cooperative]

The NH Agricultural Cooperative Federation announced Friday it will deploy 300 billion won ($211 million) in emergency disaster funds and roll out a comprehensive cooperative-wide relief package to support farmers struggling under prolonged heat waves and drought.

Federation Chairman Kang Ho-dong visited farms, reservoirs and heat-relief shelters in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, on Friday to assess agricultural water supplies, crop conditions, heat-response systems and farmer safety. Kang delivered 40 pieces of irrigation equipment — including water pumps — along with 100 disaster relief supply kits and bottled water to affected farms. Gimhae has recorded low cumulative rainfall and reservoir levels, causing ongoing crop damage, particularly to sweet persimmons and rice.

The cooperative also said it would expand support for farming and livestock supplies needed to prevent heat and drought damage. It plans to provide emergency water spraying to 3,693 heat-vulnerable livestock farms through 110 regional livestock cooperatives nationwide.

NH Agri Business Holdings has been operating a livestock emergency operations center through the end of this month, conducting daily inspections of heat-vulnerable farms and running a mobile water-spraying service that dispatches 540 joint pest-control teams by vehicle every day. The cooperative is also supplying heat-stress reducers, vitamins and nutritional feed.

In addition, the cooperative will use 1.7 billion won from a crop supply stabilization fund to offer discounts on pesticides and provide shade-coating agents to prevent high-temperature damage and pest outbreaks. Livestock farms will receive about 400 million won worth of heat-reduction facility upgrades, productivity-enhancing equipment and nutritional feed.

The cooperative is also operating 5,927 heat-relief shelters nationwide, providing farmers with rest spaces and drinking water. About 1.3 million cooling products and 1 million onion juice packs are being distributed to heat-vulnerable farmers, and heat-prevention campaigns are being run through digital signage at agricultural cooperative branches and NH Bank outlets across the country.

"The hardship facing farmers is greater than ever due to record heat waves and prolonged drought," Kang said. "We will focus every resource at the cooperative's disposal to protect the health and safety of our farmers."


psj@heraldcorp.com