S. Korea hosts int'l farm machinery exhibition to help bolster exports

SEOUL, Nov. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will host a farm machinery exhibition that
is expected to help bolster exports and facilitate development efforts by local
manufacturers, the government said Monday.
The Seoul International Exhibition of Machinery, Science and Technology for
Agriculture 2008 (SIEMSTA) opens Tuesday for a four-day run in southern Seoul,
said the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
With 3,000 farm machines made by 200 local and overseas manufacturers
representing 20 countries showcased in the exhibition, local firms will enhance
their overall competitiveness by getting first-hand knowledge on the latest
developments, said the ministry.
"SIEMSTA, which was first held in 1992, has played an instrumental role in
pushing up South Korean exports in this field 17-fold from US$28 million in the
first year to $400 million in 2007," a government official said.
Seoul expects farm machinery exports to top $470 million this year.
"In 2006, roughly 90 billion won worth of export contracts were made at the
exhibition itself, making it likely that direct talks between domestic sellers
and foreign buyers will take place this year as well," the official said.
This year, the exhibit organized by the Korea Agriculture Machinery Industry
Cooperative is expected to focus on energy conservation, irrigation, machinery
parts for farm equipment, and processing and packaging.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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