South Korean agriculture budget share declines despite total increase

Representative Seo Sam-seok, chair of the National Assembly Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, reported that while the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs budget is set to increase by 10.4 percent to 22.2 trillion won, its share of the total national budget has decreased to 2.7 percent.

Other related agencies also saw growth rates below the overall government budget increase of 12.8 percent. Specifically, budgets for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Korea Coast Guard, the Rural Development Administration, and the Korea Forest Service all lagged behind the national average. Concerns were raised regarding cuts to disaster response funds, including a 12 percent reduction in fishery disaster response and a 17.6 percent decrease in forest fire response budgets.

Additionally, research and development (R&D) investment in agriculture and forestry has not recovered to previous peak levels. The report noted a decline in the number of farms adopting technology from the Rural Development Administration and potential delays in securing forest fire suppression helicopters due to parts shortages and certification issues.