KT&G provided a leaf tobacco planting service in Jecheon, Chungcheongbuk-do, to help leaf tobacco farmers struggling due to manpower shortages in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Employees of KT&G’s Raw Materials Headquarters and Gimcheon Plant, who participated in the volunteer work, visited a leaf tobacco farm in Baegun-myeon, Jecheon-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, where they helped raise and plant seedlings in farmland of about 10,000 square meters.
“In addition to the declining population and aging population in rural areas, labor shortages have worsened due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and farmers are experiencing great difficulties,” said Shin Sang-ho, head of KT&G’s raw materials division, in a statement.
“KT&G has been working to alleviate the grievances of farmers by deploying leaf tobacco planting and harvesting volunteers every year and will continue to strive for win-win growth with farmers through various activities.”
In addition to the declining population and aging population in rural areas, labor shortages have worsened due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
KT&G is the only tobacco company operating in Korea to purchase domestic leaf tobacco and is making various efforts to protect farm households, such as prepaying 30 percent of the sales price of leaf tobacco for each farmer in cash. In addition, from 2013 to the present, the company has provided health checkups for farmers and scholarships for their children.