A welcome relief for labor-strapped field farming… Korea National University of Agriculture and Fisheries accelerates practical use of a ‘multi-purpose garlic and onion collector’

Korea National University of Agriculture and Fisheries has successfully concluded a nationwide regional field demonstration project aimed at expanding the distribution of garlic and onion collection machinery, an urgent task for the mechanization of field agriculture. Supported by the Ministry of Economy and Finance budget, the project was designed to solve the long-discussed problem of “idle R&D equipment” and to distribute highly refined equipment that can provide practical help to farmers.

Together with Bulls Co., Ltd., an agricultural machinery specialist company that received the technology transfer, Korea National University of Agriculture and Fisheries held demonstration events and farmer meetings on “field-tailored garlic and onion collector machinery universalization technology verification” starting June 12 in Gimje, Jeonbuk, followed by June 15 in Goryeong, Gyeongbuk, June 17 in Danyang, Chungbuk, and June 25 in Wonju, Gangwon.

Professor Hong Soon-jung of KNUAF, who oversaw this demonstration project, explained the background, saying, “Many products were developed with enormous budgets but were not used by farmers because they did not fit field conditions,” adding, “This project was planned, based on budget support from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, to advance technologies whose commercialization had been insufficient into field-tailored solutions.”

The new equipment used in this demonstration is a multi-purpose upland crop collector that was prototyped based on the Rural Development Administration’s first-phase R&D research results and entered full-scale field testing and promotion this year. According to KNUAF and Bulls, the product’s biggest feature is its high “versatility,” enabling it to collect not only garlic and onions but also potatoes at the same time. In addition, it was designed so that when crops are loaded into large bags (ton bags), the loading section gradually lowers according to the center of gravity, dramatically improving problems of reduced marketability and damage caused by drop impact.
 

In particular, this new product was developed with a thorough reflection of farmers’ on-site needs, focusing on “compactness (downsizing)” and “price competitiveness” of the machine.

Kwon Seung-gwi, director at Bulls Co., Ltd., explained, “Farmers said existing collector products were somewhat large and too long when turning or loading onto vehicles, so this new equipment was designed compactly by significantly reducing the overall length by about 50 to 60 cm compared with previous models. It is also sold at around 90 million won, cheaper than the existing product price of 98 million won, easing the burden on farmers.”

Its operation method, which maximizes convenience for farmers, is also a strength. Director Kwon emphasized, “It was designed with broad usability so that anyone who can drive a standard combine can easily handle it,” adding, “Even with only a simple explanation of its functions on site, farmers can directly operate and work with it because the controls are intuitive and convenient.”

In fact, the regional demonstration results in June earned passing marks in overall work performance, including onion and garlic collection. Park Cheol of Danyang, Chungbuk, who attended the training, said, “Timely harvesting of garlic is important, but finding labor is like picking stars from the sky,” adding, “After handling the machine on site, I found it easy to operate and efficient, so if used in the field it could greatly reduce labor cost burdens.”

However, future tasks for technological advancement according to the characteristics of production areas and soil types were also clearly identified. As smaller garlic bulbs were found getting caught between the chains, the university research team prepared a supplementary measure to reduce the chain spacing from the existing 5.5 cm to a denser 2 to 3 cm. In addition, in the stony gravel-field soils of Gangwon Province, a load problem was confirmed in which gravel of a size similar to the crops was loaded together through the chain conveyor method, reducing work speed.

Director Kwon Seung-gwi said, “Due to the nature of the machine, it is difficult to perfectly distinguish crops from stones, so in fields without stones, work is possible without major issues aside from some soil clods, but there are still technical difficulties in responding perfectly even to the stone-rich areas of Gangwon,” adding, “We will consider ways to reflect the opinions raised during this field demonstration process in the future.”
 

Kwon Yong-cheol, who participated in the Wonju training, said, “Fields in our region have many stones, so machine work is difficult and breakdowns are frequent,” adding, “I hope this demonstration leads to upgrades into customized machinery suited to local soil conditions and that it will be quickly distributed to the field.”

KNUAF and Bulls Co., Ltd. plan to accelerate equipment advancement based on farmer feedback and technical data obtained through this regional field demonstration. Professor Hong Soon-jung emphasized, “By November, when the project is completed, we will thoroughly improve the problems identified in the demonstration,” adding, “The manufacturer will supplement the equipment based on the upgraded content so that highly refined products can be quickly sold to farmers and immediately deployed in the field.”