Kim Min-seok "Take care of the field carefully".. Prime Minister and Minister dispatched to the field

[Financial News] The government has urgently deployed the Prime Minister and ministers to areas where large-scale human and agricultural damage has occurred due to unusual heavy rains and landslides, to respond quickly.
 According to the Office of the Prime Minister on the 20th, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok dispatched Song Mi-ryeong, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, to Sancheong-gun, Gyeongnam, where heavy rain damage occurred, to instruct swift damage recovery and restoration measures. He further instructed, "Tomorrow (21st), the Minister of the Interior and Safety, the department in charge of disasters, should inspect the site, console the affected residents, and prepare detailed recovery measures."
 Before visiting Sancheong, Minister Song visited a horticultural farm in Buyeo in the morning to check the progress of emergency restoration.
 According to the government, the agricultural damage caused by this heavy rain is estimated to total 24,247 hectares (ha) as of 5 p.m. on July 19.
 The crops affected by flooding were mainly rice at 20,986 hectares, followed by soybean fields at 1,860 hectares, melons at 139 hectares, watermelons at 127 hectares, peppers at 108 hectares, and green onions at 95 hectares.
 By region, Chungnam was the hardest hit with 16,714 hectares, accounting for 69% of the total damage. It was followed by Jeonnam with 6,361 hectares, Gyeongnam with 876 hectares, Chungbuk with 138 hectares, and Jeonbuk with 64 hectares.
 In particular, Chungnam, being a concentrated area for paddy crops, suffered expanded damage due to prolonged heavy rain causing delayed drainage and flooding.
 Livestock damage also followed. 60 cattle, 829 pigs, and 930,000 chickens were either dead or missing. Particularly, the chickens suffered collective damage as flooding occurred rapidly in densely housed barns.
 The government is conducting emergency disinfection and quarantine measures centered on flooded areas to prevent the spread of livestock infectious diseases.
 Minister Song, who visited the affected sites, urged for efforts in damage recovery such as organizing damaged crops and preventing pests, along with active cooperation from local governments, the Rural Development Administration, and the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation. He also stated, "We plan to provide insurance and restoration funds through swift damage assessment and investigation."
 Currently, the government plans to complete damage reports and investigations by the end of July and establish a recovery plan by mid-August to execute national treasury support.

spring@fnnews.com Lee Bo-mi Reporter