Good Water and Soil: First Shipment of 'Jirisan Sancheong Fresh Strawberries' This Year

General Strawberry Shipment in November... 'Sancheong' is Over a Month Earlier

Top Quality in Korea... Over 800 Farms, 120 Billion KRW Annual Income

Kwon Hyungap and Youngmin, father and son, are showcasing the strawberries they harvested this year at a farm in Sindeung-myeon.
[Image source=Sancheong-gun]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] The 'Jirisan Sancheong Strawberry,' boasting the highest quality in Korea, has been shipped nationwide for the first time.

According to Sancheong-gun and Sancheong-gun Nonghyup in Gyeongnam on the 24th, Sancheong's fresh strawberries have been sold at Nonghyup Seoul Yangjae Hanaro Club since the 19th.

This strawberry, which started shipping the earliest in the country, was produced by the farm of Kwon Young-min (39) in Dangdari, Sindeung-myeon.

Generally, facility-grown strawberries, which are in season during winter, begin shipping from mid-October or November. Sancheong strawberries are shipped more than a month earlier than this.

Sancheong strawberries have been recognized for their taste and quality, winning the Korea Representative Brand Award for five consecutive years from 2017 to 2021.

According to the Sancheong-gun Agricultural Technology Center, about 800 farms produce 16,500 metric tons (M/T) of Sancheong strawberries over an area of approximately 430 hectares, generating an annual high income of 120 billion KRW.

Sancheong strawberries are praised by consumers for their high sugar content, vivid color, and excellent storability. The flesh is firm, and freshness is maintained for a long time.

During the first harvest season, all strawberries are sold to major cities such as Seoul Garak Market and large discount stores. They are sold at around 80,000 KRW per 1.5kg box. Sancheong strawberries are shipped for about eight months from now until May next year.

Recently, they have also been widely exported to Southeast Asian markets such as Vietnam, Taiwan, and Cambodia.

The county agricultural technology center attributes the excellent quality of Sancheong strawberries to the alluvial soil formed by the three major rivers?Gangho River, Deokcheon River, and Yangcheon River?and climatic conditions, which are ideal geographical features for strawberry cultivation.

In particular, the efforts of the father and son duo, Kwon Hyun-gap (73) and Kwon Young-min, who first introduced the high-bed cultivation method in Korea over 30 years ago and have since shared their know-how with local farmers, have greatly contributed to scientific strawberry farming and dissemination.

A representative from the Sancheong-gun Agricultural Technology Center said, “Our county invests 4 billion KRW annually in projects such as strawberry GAP certification, specialized cultivation technology education, support for strawberry hydroponic cultivation facilities, and support for high-quality seedling production nurseries. We will continue to foster and brand ‘Jirisan Sancheong Strawberry’ as our county’s flagship agricultural product.”