[Anchor]
Even the high-altitude areas of Gangwon Province, which used to remain cool even in the mid-summer, are not spared from this heatwave. As soaring temperatures affect the growth of highland vegetables, concerns are already mounting over this year's harvest.
G1 Reporter Mo Jae-sung.
[Reporter]
This is Anbandegi in Gangneung, a high-altitude area 1,100 meters above sea level.
It is South Korea's largest highland vegetable cultivation complex.
Even in mid-summer, temperatures here used to be cool, making it ideal for highland farming. However, as days exceeding 30 degrees Celsius (86°F) have continued recently, farmers' concerns are growing.
[Kim Bong-rae / Chairperson of Gangneung Farmers' Association: With the heatwave, existing cabbages are simply being scalded right on the spot by the heat. A phenomenon where they soften and collapse is currently taking place.]
Summer highland cabbages are typically shipped two months after seedlings are planted. Once temperatures exceed 30 degrees Celsius (86°F), the likelihood of pests and soft rot increases significantly.
As the heatwave continues, some cabbages are rotting and turning to mush due to diseases.
If you look inside, there is a considerable amount of moisture, and a foul odor is emanating.
This crisis facing highland vegetables has been accelerating year by year as temperatures rise.
As a result, an increasing number of farming households in Anbandegi, Gangneung—famous for its highland cabbages—are shifting to cultivating cabbages that are more resistant to high temperatures.
[Yang Won-ju / Cabbage Farmer: Because it is hot, soft rot occurs, and inside, what is called rust disease turns things black, or physiological disorders like leaf blight happen, so the outside looks fine, but the inside is rotting away.]
As temperatures rise, diseases that were previously non-existent in highland areas are also appearing.
If droughts or typhoons overlap, the damage is highly likely to increase.
[Lee Young-gyu / Head of the Highland Cabbage Research Laboratory at the Highland Agriculture Research Institute: The occurrence of a new disease, Verticillium wilt, is on a rapid upward trend. What used to be about 100 hectares in 2023 has now increased to more than 200 hectares....]
With climate change threatening even highland vegetables, changes to the agricultural authorities' supply and demand policies for cabbages appear inevitable.
(Video Credit: Shin Ik-gyun, G1)
G1 Mo Jae-sung
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