The Korean economy has been developed rapidly in the course of implementing the five year economic development plans since 1962. Accordingly the industrial and employment structure have been changed from the traditional agriculture to modern industria...
The Korean economy has been developed rapidly in the course of implementing the five year economic development plans since 1962. Accordingly the industrial and employment structure have been changed from the traditional agriculture to modern industrial economy. In the course of implementing export oriented industrialization policies, rural farm economy has been encountered labour shortage owing to rural farm population drain to urban areas, rural wage hike and pressure on farm operation costs, and possibility of farm productivity decrease. To cope with the above problems the Korean government has supplied farm machinery such as power tillers, tractors, transplanters, binders, combines, dryers and etc. by means of the favorable credit support and subsidies.
The main objectives of this study are in identify the investment effects of farm mechanization such as B/C and Internal Rate of Return by machinery and operation patterns, changes of labour requirement per 10a for rice culture since 1968, partial farm budget of rice with and without mechanization, and estimation of labour input with full mechanization.
To achieve the objectives Saemaeul farm mechanization groups, common ownership and operation, and farms with private ownership and operation were surveyed mainly in Nonsan granary area, Chungnam province.
The results of this study are as follows:
1. The national average of labor input per 10a of paddy has decreased from 150.1 Hr in 1965 to 87.2Hr in 1985 which shows 42% decrease of labour inputs. On the other hand the hours of labour input in Nonsan area have also decreased from 150.1Hr to 92.8Hr, 38% to that in 1965 during the same periods.
2. The possible labor saving hours per 10a of Paddy was estimated at 60 hours by substituting machine power for labor forces in the works of plowing, pudding, transplanting, harvesting and threshing, transporting and drying. The labor savings were derived from 92.8 hours in 1986 deducting 30 hours of labor input with full mechanization in Nonsan area.
3. Social benefits of farm mechanization were estimated at 124,73won/10a including increment of rice(10%): 34,064won, labour saving: 65,800won, saving of conventional farm implements: 18,000won and saving of animal power: 6,870won.
4. Rental charges by works prevailing in the area were 12,000won for land preparation, 15,000won for transplanting with seedlings, 19,500won for combine works and 6,000won for drying paddy.
5. Farm income per 10a of paddy with and without mechanization were amounted to 247,278won and 224,768won respectively.
6. Social rate of return of the machinery were estimated at more than 50% in all operation patterns. On the other hand internal rate of return of the machinery except tractors were also more than 50% but IRR of tractors by operation patterns were equivalent to 0 to 9%. From the view point of farmers financial status, private owner-operation of tractors in considered uneconomical. Tractor operation by Saemaeul mechanization groups would by economical considering the government subsidy, 40% of tractor price.
7. Farmers recommendations for the government that gained through field operation of farm machinery are to train maintenance technology for rural youth, to standardize the necessary parts of machinery, to implement price tag system, to intercede spare parts and provide maketing information to farmers by rural institutions as RDA, NACF, GUN office and FLIA.