Fire blight threatens fruit farmers

[Anchor]

Fruit farmers across the country are in a state of emergency.

They are alarmed by the spread of 'fire blight', which causes trees to wither as if they have been burned.

It is spreading rapidly, and what makes it critical is that there is no treatment for this disease.

Reporter Jin Hee-jung has covered the urgent situation of the farmers.

[Report]

The leaves of the apple trees have turned black as if they have been scorched by fire.

The stems and branches are also dried up and twisted.

The bacterial infectious disease, fire blight, has spread throughout the entire apple farm.

First reported on June 12 in an apple farm in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, fire blight has spread to over 110 farms in 23 regions nationwide in less than two months, affecting an area of 44 hectares.

Among these, nearly half, 21 hectares, are concentrated in the apple farms of North Chungcheong Province.

Fire blight is highly contagious and has no treatment, putting fruit farmers on high alert.

Infected trees must be completely removed, and the same species cannot be replanted in the affected soil for up to three years.

As a result, affected farmers have no choice but to switch to other crops like potatoes or beans.

[Lee Jong-kwon/Fruit farmer affected by fire blight: "Who wouldn’t feel heartbroken burying apple trees they had lovingly nurtured? We had to dig them out with an excavator, chop them up, and bury them."]

Even if they replant trees, it takes several years to harvest, leading some to abandon fruit farming altogether.

[Oh Chang-sik/Professor at Seoul National University College of Agricultural and Life Sciences: "It is true that the fruit industry remains under threat. If orchard management becomes lax, we could reach a point where control measures are completely abandoned."]

Experts urge strict adherence to quarantine rules and prompt reporting in the event of an outbreak to prevent the spread of fire blight.

This is KBS News, Jin Hee-jung.