Farmers struggle to start damage recovery from heavy snowfall

[Anchor]

Farmers in Gyeonggi-do Province are pouring all their efforts into recovery work even on weekends.

However, the recovery is slow compared to the scale of the damage, and there is great concern about how to sustain their collapsed livelihoods.

Reporter Lee Won-hee has the story.

[Report]

Three greenhouses that were growing ornamental plants collapsed under the heavy snowfall.

Tens of thousands of pots were buried under the debris, and many facilities were significantly damaged.

This was originally a place filled with plants.

As the roof collapsed due to the heavy snow, the ventilation fans also fell down like this.

Plants that grow in warm environments have been exposed to extreme cold for two days.

[“I should have placed the larger ones in the center.”]

To save as many plants as possible that have been carefully nurtured for over three years, the entire family came together to help over the weekend.

[Lee Hye-ran/Farm employee: “We’ve already taken out about 30,000 (plants). If we leave them like this, the temperature will drop significantly, and the plants will die.”]

In this village, where flower farms are concentrated, about 30 farms have suffered similar damage.

[Heo Yang-seok/President of the Hwasan Flower Association: “The facilities costs several hundred million won. (The crops) will all die due to cold damage. The government needs to designate this area as a disaster special zone and provide compensation.”]

This is a poultry farm that collapsed under the weight of snow piled on the roof.

Eight buildings that were ready to raise newborn chicks were brought down by the snowstorm.

[Kim Dae-yong/Poultry farm owner: “The chicks were supposed to arrive the day after the heavy snowfall, but it’s so frustrating. It just collapsed in an instant, in just one second.”]

With the risk of further collapse and costs amounting to tens of millions of won, they can’t even think about recovery and can only sigh.

[“Just looking at it here is really just...”]

This heavy snowfall has caused damage to 420,000 square meters of farmland and nearly 1,000 livestock facilities in southern Gyeonggi Province alone.

This is KBS News, Lee Won-hee.