Pasture owners are excluded by law from growing crops on their grassland, but that hasn’t stopped the practice. Joseph Kim reports.
Report [slug] Songdang-ri, Gujwa-eup
This grassland on the mid-slope region of Hallasan Mountain is the size of 30 soccer fields.
[slug] Winter radishes, potatoes being grown on 20 ha of grassland
Winter radishes and potatoes are being grown.
Pesticide is being sprayed today.
[slug] Large-scale illegal cultivation
Pastures are banned from crop farming by the Grassland Act.
Recording Pesticide sprayer I'm here to just spray pesticide. I’m not sure, but it looks like potatoes were planted in August or September. <싱크 : 방제업체 직원> "모르겠는데 저는 약 치러 와서. 아마 감자 8~9월쯤 심지 않았을까요."
[slug] No end to illegal farming
The illegal farming here has been reported three times by authorities.
"No crop farming" banners are posted. But it's a useless warning.
An increasing number of cases of illegal crop farming on pastures are being exposed.
[slug] Crops being illegally grown on 175 ha of grassland
The province inspected grasslands in September in cooperation with Jeju City and Seogwipo City.
It found that 255 plots in 175 hectares of grasslands were illegally used for crop farming.
By kind of crop, winter radishes account for the most at 95 hectares. Beans are in the second place with 19.4 hectares and broccoli is planted on 6.3 hectares.
The illegal farming on pastures causes overproduction, which leads to a price plunge.
[slug] High profits make illegal farming an ongoing problem
Authorities are cracking down on the illegal cultivation every year.
But the illegal act is not rooted out as the amount of profit made from the farming is larger than the fines.
INTERVIEW Hong Gwon-pil / Jeju City livestock and crop division Glassland owners should not grow crops on their pastures because doing so can harm farmers. <인터뷰 : 홍권필 / 제주시 축산과> "대규모로 (경작)하시는 분들은 다른 선의의 농가에 피해가 발생할 수 있으니까 초지에서 농작물 재배하는 건 자제하시길 바랍니다."
[Reporter] Joseph Kim [Camera] Kim Yong-min
Jeju City and Seogwipo City will identify and report those in violation of the grassland act and file a complaint with law enforcement agencies.
