Gokseong-gun Successfully Conducts Pilot Production of Organic Strawberry High Bed Seedlings

Production of 30,000 High-Altitude Organic Strawberry Seedlings, the First Dedicated Organic Strawberry Seedlings in Korea, Supplied to Organic Strawberry Farms

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] Gokseong-gun, Jeollanam-do announced on the 21st that it has succeeded in producing organic strawberry seedlings nationwide for the first time using high-bed facilities.

Strawberries are the crop that requires the most time and effort for seedling production among fruits and vegetables, usually taking more than five months from late March to early September, and due to a shortage of labor for seedling cultivation, most seedlings are purchased.

In particular, organic strawberry seedlings that do not use chemical fertilizers or pesticides require more delicate management and are traded at higher prices than regular seedlings because their nationwide production volume is not large.

Focusing on this high added value, the Gokseong-gun Agricultural Technology Center conducted a pilot project linked to the Regional Vitalization Crop Base Project, installing an eco-friendly high-bed seedling nursery through Lee Oksin, a Jeollanam-do certified organic master, and produced about 30,000 organic strawberry seedlings for the first time nationwide.

Representative Lee stated, “Using eco-friendly materials such as homemade compost, organic liquid fertilizer, and microbial culture solution supplied by the Agricultural Technology Center, we produced seedlings sturdier than those grown by conventional methods.”

The cultivated strawberry seedlings are expected to be presented as delicious fruits to consumers in November through eco-friendly agricultural producers such as Hansalim and Ecoop.

Jo Hyunja, head of the Gokseong-gun Agricultural Technology Center, said, “To fundamentally solve the problem of reduced production due to purchasing poor-quality seedlings and to expand the production of superior seedlings for increased exports to Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Japan, and other overseas markets, we have been promoting the distribution of high-bed seedling facilities since 2018 with technical support from the Rural Development Administration and Jeollanam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services.”

He added, “By this year, we have disseminated superior strawberry seedling production technology to about 210 facility houses across 53 farms, striving not only to improve productivity but also to revitalize the local economy. We will continue to do our best to provide technology dissemination and support to reduce labor and improve productivity for farmers.”