[LETTERS TO THE EDITOR]Take heart, farmers!

Home > Opinion > Letters

[LETTERS TO THE EDITOR]Take heart, farmers!

Published: 24 Feb. 2004, 23:00

Just until a few days ago, Seoul was overrun with farmers demonstrating violently at the National Assembly to stop it from ratifying the free trade agreement with Chile. Now that the agreement has been ratified, farmers think they are at a dead end and have lost hope.
But they should not accept the false belief that Korean agriculture will be demolished once some of Chile's products enter Korea dutyfree. Not only farmers, but also Korea as a whole, must recognize the fact that Korean agriculture can no longer hide and shut out the light.
Our farmers must bravely attempt to improve their produce, not only in quantity but also in quality. Because the government has promised to subsidize farmers with a great deal of money for the next 10 years, the farmers should strive to be the best in the world and be able to stand proudly on their own two feet.
Moreover, if the government invests more in science and technology to raise the current standards of the Korean agricultural sector, I strongly believe that Korea’s top-grade agricultural products could compete in international markets.

by Kim Ji-young