K-Agricultural Machinery Breaks Into Highland Regions… RDA and Bolivia Launch Customized R&D

[Korea Agricultural Technology News = Reporter Baek Cheol-hyeon] An export-linked K-agricultural machinery project has set sail to break away from the existing export structure centered on advanced countries and to pioneer emerging Latin American markets using locally customized ‘data’ as its weapon.
The Rural Development Administration announced on May 21 that it has officially launched locally customized agricultural machinery research and development (R&D) targeting the Latin American market in cooperation with Bolivia’s National Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Innovation (INIAF), the Korea Agricultural Machinery Industry Cooperative, and exporters.
Currently, exports of K-agricultural machinery are concentrated in a few countries such as North America and Europe. According to the Korea Customs Service Big Data Portal, tractor exports from January 2025 to the most recent period (April 2026) show North America, including the United States and Canada, accounting for 73% and Europe 10%, meaning the two continents occupy more than 80%.
The Rural Development Administration launched this project to resolve such concentration in agricultural machinery exports and diversify export markets by targeting Latin America. However, while large Latin American markets such as Brazil and Argentina are attractive, competition among global brands there is already extremely fierce. Accordingly, the RDA selected Bolivia as a strategic bridgehead, where competition is relatively less intense while the market size is still substantial. Ahn Uk-hyeon, director of the Export Agricultural Technology Division at the RDA, said, "Rather than entering an overheated large market from the start, we plan to secure a successful localization reference in Bolivia first and then gradually expand exports to neighboring countries such as Peru and Colombia." 
At this commercialization stage, securing distribution networks is key. Although there is no KOTRA branch in Bolivia, the plan is to work closely with KOTRA trade offices in neighboring countries such as Brazil and Peru to provide Korean companies with distribution network information and create conditions for market entry.
This project places emphasis on leading to tangible export expansion for domestic ag-tech companies through demonstration research thoroughly based on local agricultural data and infrastructure. On April 29, the Rural Development Administration and Bolivia’s National Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Innovation (INIAF) formally signed a Technical Cooperation Project (TCP) agreement in writing and fully shifted to an ‘export-linked R&D system.’ In the first full year of the project next year, researchers will begin thorough on-site data collection. 
In particular, reflecting Bolivia’s high-altitude characteristics, tractor engine horsepower is expected to be significantly increased, and rubber tires made of blended materials resistant to cold and ultraviolet rays will likely be applied. In addition, because local seed potatoes are much larger than those in Korea and sowing height (covering depth) and cultivation row spacing differ, the plan is to newly adjust tractor width, body height, and implement specifications to suit local conditions. Going forward, field demonstration data will be collected in cooperation with Bolivia’s National Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Innovation (INIAF), while Korean experts will regularly visit the site to directly verify the reliability and quality of the data.
A noteworthy business insight is that the legacy of the ‘KOPIA Center,’ which had previously operated in the nature of grant aid, will be directly linked to the export industry. By using the local farm complex infrastructure built during the completed ODA project as a testbed for this R&D demonstration, a strategy has been prepared to lower entry costs and maximize demonstration efficiency. 
In addition, under future demonstration plans, existing Korean agricultural machinery that has not been localized will be taken to Bolivia as-is this year for a first-round test to identify technical elements that must be improved in the local environment. Then, based on the extracted data, improvements will be made with the aim of completing a ‘Bolivia-tailored prototype’ by the end of next year. Localization is expected to be completed quickly first for relatively simple implements, while the tractor body itself will be commercialized after sufficient verification.
Ahn Uk-hyeon, director of the Export Agricultural Technology Division at the Rural Development Administration, said, "The core of this project is to improve the elements that enable localization, and we will work to create conditions for Korean agricultural machinery improved to suit local needs to enter the Latin American market.”