Gyeongnam Province Opens Possibility of Domestic Production of Paprika Seeds More Expensive Than Gold

On the 14th, the Gyeongnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services held the final report meeting for the demonstration test research results aimed at expanding the distribution of domestic paprika seeds to farmers at the Asia Lakeside Hotel located in Jinju, Gyeongnam. (Photo by Gyeongnam Province)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Choi Hyun-joo] The Gyeongnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services announced on the 14th that it held a final report meeting on the results of a demonstration test aimed at expanding the distribution of domestically produced paprika seeds to farms at the Asia Lakeside Hotel in Jinju.

Paprika is the top fresh agricultural product export item by a single category, but all seeds are currently imported.

The price is high, ranging from 550,000 to 650,000 KRW per packet, placing a significant burden on farmers.

Since July last year, the research institute has conducted a one-year on-farm demonstration test on six paprika varieties verified through the Jeonbuk Agricultural Research and Extension Services evaluation meeting and the Seed Committee, across a total of 10 farms in the Jeolla and Gyeongsang regions.

Researcher Park Bo-kyung of the Gyeongnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services stated at the report meeting, “If cultivation methods tailored to domestic varieties are developed to address shortcomings, it is expected to change the market trend currently dominated by imported seeds.”