On April 14, KT&G engaged in a volunteer activity of leaf tobacco planting in Mun’gyeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do to assist the stable cultivation of leaf tobacco farmers.

About 30 employees from the Raw Materials Department and Gimcheon Plant visited a leaf tobacco farm in Nong’am-myeon, Mun’gyeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, moved seedlings at the farm of about 10,000㎡ and planted about 20,000 seedlings.

Leaf tobacco farming involves a process of growing seedlings at a nursery and transplanting them, instead of sowing seeds in the field. The seedling transplantation particularly is an important task, which determines the productivity of leaf tobacco farming. In response, KT&G has been volunteering for leaf tobacco farmers for 17 years since 2007 to help farmers who are having difficulties recruiting workers and to pass on the advanced leaf tobacco production technology.

In addition, during a season of leaf tobacco harvesting, which requires a lot of work in midsummer, KT&G employees engage in volunteer activities for shared growth with farmers throughout a year.

Kim Jeong-ho, the Director of the Raw Materials Department, said, “KT&G engages in employee volunteer activities every year to support the activities of leaf tobacco farms, which have a problem of labor shortages.We will continue to make the best efforts for mutual growth with farmers.”

To improve the welfare of leaf tobacco farmers, KT&G has provided KRW 3.336 billion (USD 2.5 million) in total to leaf tobacco farmers since 2013, including scholarships for children and medical check-up subsidies for farmers, KT&G said in a press release.