Jeonbuk Province Promotes Rice Purchase to Address Damage from Heavy Rain and Typhoons

Damaged Rice Purchase (Tentative): 10.19 ~ 11.30

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Tae-in] Jeollabuk-do will purchase rice damaged by heavy rain and typhoons from October 19 to November 30.

On the 22nd, Jeollabuk-do announced that it plans to collect samples and conduct inspections according to the type and extent of damage, identify the type of damage, area, and expected shipment volume, and then submit the desired purchase quantity to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The purchase price will be determined considering the condition and quality of the damaged rice, with an advance payment made first, and final settlement planned by the end of the year after the rice price is confirmed.

The damaged rice will be purchased regardless of variety (including glutinous rice, but excluding colored rice and rice for processing), and farms that violate residual pesticide detection standards are also eligible to participate in the purchase.

The purchase method allows farmers to ship directly or through local agricultural cooperatives, and purchases will be made in bagged rice (30kg, 600kg bags).

Last year, there was also a case of purchasing typhoon-damaged rice, with Jeollabuk-do purchasing a total of 5,114 tons. The purchase price for damaged rice was determined by classifying the provisional out-of-grade into A, B, and C grades, and applying an appropriate rate based on the 2018 first-grade price (67,050 KRW/30kg), the year immediately prior.

Meanwhile, the rice damage in Jeollabuk-do due to typhoons and other causes is tentatively identified as 12,439 hectares (9,221 hectares lodged rice, 3,218 hectares black and white water damage), and phenomena such as white water, black water, and pre-germination are still ongoing. Since precise measurement is difficult in lodged rice conditions, the damaged area is expected to increase over time.

Choi Jae-yong, Director of the Agriculture, Livestock and Food Bureau of Jeollabuk-do, stated, "We ask the cities and counties to conduct thorough investigations so that damaged rice is not omitted from the purchase target, to provide some comfort and hope to the affected farmers."