KUALA LUMPUR - The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of South Korea has unveiled its 2026 plan to support farm labour.

The blueprint marks the first annual rollout under a five-year strategy adopted in late 2025.

The plan sets two key targets for the sector, as reported by The Korea Times.

The first is to raise the share of farm labour supplied through public programmes to 60 per cent by 2030.

This compares with 51.2 per cent recorded in 2024.

The second target is to improve working conditions by requiring insurance coverage for seasonal workers.

The number of foreign seasonal workers allocated for the first half of 2026 has reached a record 93,503.

The figure has already surpassed the total recorded in 2025.

The public labour programme operated through Nonghyup cooperatives has also expanded.

A total of 142 cooperatives are now managing more than 5,000 workers.

The ministry said it will work with the Ministry of Health and Welfare to ease cost burdens.

Foreign seasonal workers under the public programme may be exempted from long-term care insurance premiums.

For domestic hiring, authorities plan to expand recruitment channels.

These include private job platforms and public employment centres alongside existing rural labour centres and the Agriwork system.

A pilot scheme will allow neighbouring counties with different peak farming seasons to share workers.

Efforts to improve skills among foreign workers will include multilingual training materials.

The materials will be provided in Vietnamese, Khmer, Lao and Filipino languages.

They will focus on high-demand crops such as apples, garlic and strawberries.

Distribution is set to begin online in December.

A new visa category for skilled workers in agriculture and fisheries is also under development.

The initiative is being prepared in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice.

The plan also introduces stricter safety measures for farms employing foreign workers.

Employers will be required to submit safety checklists before applying for visas.

A mobile version of the checklist is expected by the end of the year.

The Rural Development Administration is developing virtual reality-based safety training programmes.

These are scheduled to be rolled out from 2027.

Authorities also aim to train 700 farmers as safety leaders by 2026.

To improve communication, the ministry will publish a multilingual guide covering basic conversation, farming terminology and safety rules.

Officials said the measures are intended to enhance productivity, worker welfare and long-term sustainability in the agricultural sector.