KT&G (CEO Baek Bok-in) has delivered a welfare support fee of 400 million won to leaf tobacco farms suffering from the negative impact of COVID-19, to help promote their continuous growth. The corresponding support fund will be used for health check-ups for 1000 senior leaf tobacco farmers as well as scholarship for 80 children in farming households.

 Due to the continuous decrease in Korea’s farming population and the recent impact of COVID-19, farms are facing difficulties securing labor. Also the characteristics of leaf tobacco farming makes it difficult to mechanize the production process, so it requires hard human labor. The farmers on the leaf tobacco farms especially are also relatively older and as such, more attention is required for their health.

KT&G has been continuing support businesses to enhance the welfare of domestic leaf tobacco farms and to relieve their financial difficulties. The support of 2.454 billion won for health inspections of farmers and scholarships for their children since 2013 is a representative business, and there were up to 6900 beneficiaries up to this year.

KT&G has been putting a lot of effort into protecting the tobacco leaf farm, including only purchasing entire quantities of tobacco leaves that are produced domestically, among all tobacco companies in Korea. Moreover, we send volunteer groups to farms to lend a helping hand to those facing challenges due to lack of labor, planting tobacco leaves as well as harvesting them. Last year, our volunteer groups paid a visit to the region in Gangwon hit with forest fire, in order to help with restoration and also provide compensation.

 Shin Song-ho, KT&G Director of Base Materials said, “As a partner to the farming community, KT&H has been continuing with diverse activities to resolve the distress farms are experiencing.” He added, “I hope that this support provides some vitality to the farmers in need, especially since the COVID-19 crisis, and be of small help to their economic condition. We will continue our efforts for farmers in the future.”

(Photo 1) KT&G (CEO Baek Bok-in) held the ‘2020 Delivery Ceremony for Health Check-up and Scholarship for Tobacco Leaf Farms’ and delivered the welfare promotion fund of 400 million won. The photo shows Kim Sam-su of KTGO (Korea Tobacco Growers Organization, KTGO) (left) and Shin Song-ho KT&G Director of Base Materials (right) at the delivery ceremony that took place at the Tobacco Production Stabilizing Foundation in Daejeon on the 20^th.

(Photo 2) KT&G (CEO Baek Bok-in) held the ‘2020 Delivery Ceremony for Health Check-up and Scholarship for Tobacco Leaf Farms’ and delivered the welfare promotion fund of 400 million won. The photo shows Kim Sam-su, President of KTGO (Korea Tobacco Growers Organization, KTGO) (from the left), Shin Song-ho, KT&G Director of Base Materials, and Baek Byung-gab, Chairman of the Board of Tobacco Production Stabilizing Foundation, at the delivery ceremony that took place at the Tobacco Production Stabilizing Foundation in Daejeon on the 20^th.