The Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI) held an expanded directorial meeting on Feb. 6 to discuss follow-up measures and the direction for implementation concerning the 2017 Agriculture, Forestry, and Food Sectors' Joint Presentation of Business Plans, attended by about 400 people from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and its affiliated institutions on the 25th.
 

Through this meeting, KREI decided to closely cooperate and share information with MAFRA and relevant institutions on major agri-food issues, including the contents of the joint presentation. The key contents of the meeting are as follows.
 

The sector of agricultural and rural policy research will concentrate on studies on job creation for young people, the direct payment system, sixth industrialization, and so on. The sector of agriculture and forestry policy research will conduct research projects on impacts of the implementation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act on the agri-food industry and responses, the promotion of agri-food export, and the 4th industrial revolution.
 

The global cooperation research sector is planning to study responses to renegotiations of the Korea-US FTA due to US protectionism, and expand cooperation projects with international organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In particular, KREI researchers will participate in meetings of international organizations including the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and official development assistance (ODA), thus grasping trends of international discussions and strengthening research capacities.
 

The Agricultural Outlook Project will enhance the accuracy of this year's outlook and supply-demand analysis, and focus on disseminating outlook information to farmers. For this, a cooperative system among related institutions will be established with KREI as its hub.
 

The future policy research sector is planning to improve policy performance by sharing agricultural policy directions and agendas and cooperating with relevant institutions, through a study on setting up the 5-Year Plan for the Development of Agriculture, Rural Communities, and the Food Industry (2018-2022) and establishing a new paradigm of agricultural policy.