Gov't to offer 2.4 bln won to help farms hard hit by cold spell

SEOUL, April 29 (Yonhap) -- The government said Thursday that it will offer 2.4
billion won (US$2.1 million) worth of subsidies and preferential loans to help
farmers deal with lost crops due to the recent cold spell.
The move may help 1,400 farmers in three provinces and marks the first time that
the government has declared a "cold weather disaster" to facilitate recovery
efforts, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.
Of the total, a little over 1.86 billion won will be in state support subsidies,
with the rest distributed as low-interest loans.
South Korea reported around 80 days of subzero temperatures from December to
March, along with heavy snowfall that reduced sunlight reaching crops.
It said the freezing weather in the mountainous regions of North Jeolla Province
on the west coast devastated raspberries, while onions grown on the southern
island of Jeju have been hurt by unseasonably cold weather.
Strong winds reaching 30 meters per second have also destroyed many greenhouses
in parts of North Gyeongsang Province on the east coast, hurting vegetable and
fruit production.
The ministry said 2,464 hectares of farmland have been affected overall.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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