BUYEO, South Korea — The Buyeo County government in South Chungcheong Province announced on November 10 that 141 local tomato-growing households severely impacted by the Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) will receive comprehensive, state-level financial and administrative assistance. This breakthrough paves the way for affected farmers to safely resume agricultural operations.

The outbreak was first detected on October 26 in local greenhouses located in Sedo-myeon, Buyeo County. In response, local authorities immediately deployed an initial emergency budget of 30 million won to distribute disinfectants and set up strict access-control notices to contain the rapid spread.

Mayor Lee Yong-woo closely coordinated with the South Chungcheong provincial government and lawmakers to urge the central government for formal public quarantine designation. Following these appeals, the Rural Development Administration (RDA) officially announced a complete relief package, which covers the entire cost of public disinfection, crop elimination, replanting expenses, and financial compensation for mandatory fallow periods if the virus persists after sanitation.

Buyeo stands as one of South Korea’s premier production hubs for cherry tomatoes, generating roughly 10,000 tons annually. However, nearly 32% of the region's cultivation area faced exposure to the viral threat, threatening an estimated output reduction of 2,276 tons and a staggering economic loss of approximately 11.7 billion won.

"While the county acted swiftly during the early stages of the outbreak, complete recovery for our farming community was virtually impossible without national intervention," Mayor Lee stated, expressing gratitude to parliamentary efforts that brought national attention to the farmers' urgent plight.

"Our growers were primarily worried about whether they could afford to restart farming after destroying their crops," Lee added. "Because this support package spans everything from crop disposal and replanting to compensation during mandatory fallow periods, our farmers can finally regain hope."

Moving forward, Buyeo County plans to closely monitor the detailed compensation unit prices and individual subsidy calculations slated by the RDA and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) this November, ensuring prompt distribution of funds.

Emphasizing the root cause of the crisis, Mayor Lee noted that insufficient national preparation against overseas plant viruses contributed to the outbreak, stressing that the county will continue pushing the central government to build robust preventative systems.

"Until every single affected farmer can resume farming with peace of mind, Buyeo County will stand side-by-side with our agricultural community until the very end," Lee concluded. "We will concentrate all administrative resources to restore the proud reputation of Buyeo tomatoes."

Meanwhile, local authorities are maintaining rigorous quarantine protocols to block further transmission while reinforcing preventive education and early diagnostic systems for unaffected farms.

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]