KT&G (president Bok-in Baek) donates KRW 300 million for the welfare of domestic raw material leaf tobacco farmers.
The donation will be used for medical check-up of 1004 leaf tobacco farmers and scholarship for 39 children of low-income farmers. Since 2013, KT&G has provided the welfare package for 2,500 farmers and their children as a way of support for domestic leaf tobacco farmers.
Growing tobacco is painstakingly labor intensive, and manual work is required between July and August, hot and muggy season in Korea. And farming villages are short-handed because of the aging in farming households and continuously decreasing population in rural society
KT&G has put forth a various effort into protecting leaf tobacco farmers. The company purchases the whole amount of leaf tobacco produced in Korea and pays in advance 30 percent of expected sales proceeds of leaf tobacco between April and June to relieved the financial burden of each leaf tobacco farmers. In order to cover up the decrease in production due to unusual weather, the company provided additional KRW 3.4 billion for leaf tobacco farmers in 2001 and 2012.
Hyunjin Kim, head of Raw Material Division, said “KT&G has actively participated in activities for real help for farmers, including volunteer assistance for harvest and school uniform donation for middle and high school students. I wish the donation could be helpful for leaf tobacco farmers and KT&G will continue to strive for win-win relationship with farmers.
