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Daedong Discusses Possible Cooperation with Ukraine’s Ministry of Agriculture on Future Agriculture Technology Support

- Priority initiative to donate eight mid- to large-sized tractors for training agricultural machinery specialists to aid local agricultural reconstruction
- Proposal to collaborate on future agriculture technologies, such as Daedong’s autonomous tractors and agricultural robots, to address labor shortages
- Company entered the Ukrainian market at the end of last year, strengthening its position as a reconstruction partner through cooperation with the local government

Daedong is supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction by cooperating with the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food on advanced agricultural machinery education and future agriculture technology.

Daedong, a leader and pioneer in future agriculture (co-CEOs Kim Jun-sik and Won Yu-hyun), announced on April 8 that it held a video conference with the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine to discuss mid- to long-term agricultural cooperation plans for local reconstruction.

The discussions held on April 4 included Won Yu-hyun, CEO of Daedong, Yeo Jun-gu, CEO of Daedong Robotics, and Han In-gi, Head of Daedong’s CCE Business Division. On the Ukrainian side, participants included Vitaliy Koval, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Oksana Osmatsko, Deputy Minister, Mykola Maroz, Head of the Rural Development Agency, and Oleksandr Denysenko, a member of the Odesa Regional Council.

 

Last year, Daedong became the first Korean company to enter the Ukrainian tractor market by signing a contract with a local distributor. Under this agreement, Daedong will supply PX/HX tractors worth KRW 30 billion over three years, and these models have been distributed locally since the beginning of this year. The company explained that these discussions mark a turning point, positioning Daedong not just as an exporter of agricultural machinery, but as a true partner in Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts.

First, Daedong has decided to donate eight of its HX and PX tractors, ranging from 100 to 140 horsepower, to Ukraine. This decision was made in recognition of the need for agricultural reconstruction and the introduction of advanced technologies during the course of its business in Ukraine. The donated tractors will be used as educational equipment for agricultural machinery training at six state-run agricultural universities in Ukraine. The Ukrainian government plans to use Daedong tractors to train agricultural machinery specialists and to establish technical standards for replacing outdated machinery with new models. Daedong expects that this initiative will allow young Ukrainian agricultural talents to directly experience the excellence of Daedong products, which is likely to have a positive impact on local sales as well.

 

In addition, both sides discussed ways to collaborate on unmanned technology for the future of Ukrainian agriculture. Daedong plans to support Ukraine, which is experiencing farmland loss and labor shortages due to the prolonged war, by providing advanced future agriculture technologies such as autonomous agricultural machinery and agricultural robots, and by exploring future development directions together. The company has proposed long-term cooperation that includes technology transfer, local engineer training, technical exchanges on AI and unmanned equipment, and agricultural solutions such as precision farming.

 

Daedong is the first company in the domestic industry to have commercialized Level 3 autonomous agricultural machinery. It aims to complete the development of Level 4 autonomous driving technology by the end of this year and to launch tractors equipped with this technology in the first quarter of next year. Meanwhile, the company will unveil the industry’s first agricultural transport robot with autonomous driving capabilities, the RT100, later this month. Previously, Daedong launched a wire-following version of the RT100 back in February.

Won Yu-hyun, CEO of Daedong, stated, “This discussion marks a significant turning point in maximizing the modernization and efficiency of Ukrainian agriculture with Daedong’s advanced technology. Through our cooperation with Ukraine, we hope that by practically applying unmanned and autonomous driving technology to agricultural machinery, Daedong can play an important role in the reconstruction process.”

Vitaliy Koval, Ukraine’s Minister of Agrarian Policy, said, “Right now, tractors and other agricultural machinery are extremely important for Ukraine, and demand for unmanned agricultural equipment will only continue to grow. I look forward to having further long-term discussions with Daedong when I visit Korea in the future.”