Nongshim announced on January 13 that it will continue its "Young Farmers Together" program supporting young people returning to farming this year.
The company signed a memorandum of understanding for the "2026 Young Farmers Together" program with the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (EPIS), an agency under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, at its headquarters in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, on the previous day.
The program is a public-private partnership corporate social responsibility initiative that Nongshim launched with EPIS in 2021 to support early-stage farming activities of young people returning to agriculture. This year marks its sixth year.
Nongshim plans to select 10 young farmers this year and support the entire process from potato cultivation preparation to harvest sales. The company provides advance payments before farming begins to reduce initial capital burden and transfers cultivation know-how including seed potato management and planting timing through a mentor-mentee program with experienced producers.
In particular, Nongshim plans to purchase all potatoes produced this year so young farmers can focus on farming without worrying about sales channels. The potatoes will be used to produce Nongshim's potato snack products including Sumi Chip and Potato Chip.
The cumulative volume of potatoes Nongshim has purchased through the program to date totals 1,793 tons. Annual purchases also increased significantly from 132 tons in 2022 to 583 tons last year.
A Nongshim official said, "The selected young farmers have an average of just over one year of cultivation experience, with most just starting out in agriculture." The official added, "We plan to continue providing funding and sales channel support so that young people struggling with initial settlement can maintain stable farming operations."