농식품산업 기술금융 활성화 방안

Abstract

우리 경제에서 최근 혁신성장을 도모하기 위해 이에 대한 정책수단으로 기술금융이 확대되고 있다. 농업부문에서도 농업생산 및 투자 정체로 혁신성장이 요구되고 있다. 현재 농업 분야는 그린바이오, 스마트팜 등 고부가가치 농업기술을 토대로 성장 가능성이 높지만 전체 기술금융 시장에서 농식품부문이 차지하는 비중은 약 1%로 미미한 수준이다. 농식품산업의 혁신성장을 위해 농업 특성을 반영한 기술 가치평가 체계 구축, 농업기술실용화재단, 농림수산식품기술기획평가원 등 농업 전문기관과의 협력으로 기술금융을 확대할 수 있다.

이에 따라 이 연구는 농식품산업의 기술금융 기반을 점검하고 기술금융 활성화를 위한 정책과제를 도출하기 위해 추진되었다. 이 연구는 전체 기술금융과 농식품부문 기술금융에 대한 현황을 비교하고, 해외 농업 기술금융 사례, 농림식품 기술 기반업체와 전문가 조사 결과를 바탕으로 농식품 분야 기술금융이 활성화되기 위한 방안을 제시하였다.

Background and Purpose ○ Innovation is a driving force for inclusive growth. An economic development strategy focusing on productivity through innovation is inevitable for resolving structural problems in the economy amid low and stagnant growth. As in other fields, agriculture sees the production and investment getting low. Population aging slows down agricultural growth engines, too. Although everyone is aware that innovative growth is required, it is still in the initial stage. Farming is an industry that can elicit innovative growth based on value-added agricultural technologies. However, many technologies developed failed to be commercialized despite consistent R&D investments in agriculture. Therefore, it is time to set up platforms for commercializing agro-food ideas devised through R&D. Also, it is necessary to boost investment for such commercialization through policy means such as technology financing.

○ Technology financing provides funds to corporations with technologies that fail to get loans due to low credit ratings or lack of collateral. Concerning the agro-food sector, it is required to commercialize technologies developed based on R&D. As the share of direct financing is low in the agricultural financial industry, technology financing is not general. However, the Credit Guarantee Fund for Farmers and Fishers (afterward, the Guarantee Fund), the Foundation of Agricultural Technology Commercialization and Transfer (FACT), the Nonghyup Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF), and the Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in Agriculture and Forestry (IPET) will be able to create synergy for technology financing through collaboration. Technology financing includes credit loans based on technology evaluation guarantees or certificates, loans based on intellectual property rights, and venture capital investments. However, there is not sufficient research on them. It is time to review technology financing and identify policy tasks to pursue innovative growth in the agro-food sector.

Research Methodology ○ We conducted a literature review, statistical data analysis, field trips, and surveys for this research, Also, we inspected overseas cases and interviewed experts. We used previous research data related to local technology financing for the literature review, and inspected overseas cases through commissioned research. We interviewed technology financing experts and surveyed agro-food firms with technologies to ask about their financing, investment, and gestation period.

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