According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, smart farms are emerging as a new export industry, recording exports and orders of $296 million (about 269 billion won) in 2023, more than doubling from the previous year. The ministry recently gathered around 160 companies in the smart farm industry in one place to create real results in 2024.

On the 17th, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs held a policy briefing session to promote the 2024 export support policy and a meeting to hear opinions from major intelligent farm (smart farm) export companies.

At the policy briefing session held that day, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and six related ministries and agencies introduced support projects related to major smart farm exports in 2024 to approximately 160 smart farm companies.

In particular, much attention from corporate officials is focused on the 'Consortium Order Support Project' newly organized in 2024 to secure large-scale projects that are difficult to secure alone.

In addition, Abu Dhabi Investment Promotion Authority (ADIO) and Attorney Deok-Geun Yoon of a local law firm in Dubai announced investment and legal policies for intelligent farms (smart farms) in the Middle East, sharing information for expanding into the promising Middle East market.

Before the briefing session, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs hosted a meeting chaired by the Director of Agricultural and Food Innovation Policy. 'We held a meeting with 12 major companies with 2024 export plans to review the export outlook for 2024 and discuss ways to expand exports and orders.

At the event, industry officials mentioned that the demand for Korean-style smart farms has been increasing recently, especially in promising markets such as the Middle East and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and that inquiries about exports and orders have been steadily increasing. They requested that the government's active interest and support be needed to lead these to contracts.

In response, Yoon Won-seop, Director General of Agricultural and Food Innovation Policy, responded that he would spare no support in 2024 as well, including in creating overseas export bases and strengthening global networking capabilities through cooperation with relevant organizations.

Yoon Won-seop, director of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ Agricultural and Food Innovation Policy Bureau, said, “Through today’s meeting, the industry and the government promised to work as one team to expand exports in 2024 as well,” and “We will continue to think and work together to actively promote overseas expansion of our smart farm companies.”