The Yeongnam region's forest fire in South Korea has led to an area of 473 hectares requiring apple sapling renewal. This area equates to approximately 662 soccer fields and comprises around 1.4% of South Korea's total apple cultivation land. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has updated its guidelines to support orchard restoration, initiating a demand survey to facilitate support within the year's first half.
Park Yeon-soon from the Korean Apple Farmers Cooperative Association stated, "We plan to expand apple sapling production facilities and prioritize the supply of disease-free superior saplings to the farms affected by the forest fire."
In parallel, the Ministry is assessing low-temperature damage, with 1,639 hectares of pear orchards affected, representing about 31% of the average damage area. Executive Park mentioned, "So far, the growth of pears is at a better level than average, and there will be no significant disruption in securing the yield through thinning and fruit dropping work in the damaged areas."
A Ministry representative noted, "For indirect damage from the forest fire, it is possible to minimize the impact through growth management, so the effect on this year's apple production is expected to be limited," adding that ongoing monitoring and technical guidance will ensure production stability.
Source: ChosunBiz