Contract Signed for Purchase of 100,000 Narcissus Bulbs from Seondo, Narcissus Island

Expectations for Local Economic Revitalization through Daffodil Flower Festival and Bulb Harvesting

Selecting daffodil bulbs. ⓒ Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] Sinan-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Park Woo-ryang) has achieved an increase in residents' income by selling daffodil bulbs produced on Seondo, the daffodil island boasting the largest daffodil cultivation area in the nation, for the first time this year.

According to the county on the 22nd, on the 14th, Seondo Daffodil Agricultural Cooperative Corporation and Pinnacle Land Agricultural Corporation signed a purchase contract for 100,000 daffodil bulbs cultivated on Seondo.

The island daffodil festival held annually on Seondo attracted about 12,000 tourists in 2019, which is 48 times the entire island population.

The festival, which was paused for two years due to COVID-19, is scheduled to be held again next year. The expected number of visitors next year is over 30,000, with direct festival-related income exceeding 200 million KRW from entrance fees, agricultural and marine products, and daffodil sales, and an indirect regional economic effect exceeding 1 billion KRW is anticipated.

A resident who has cultivated garlic and onions on Seondo for 50 years said, "As Seondo has become the daffodil island, the island is lively every spring with tourists coming to see the daffodils," adding, "Most residents are elderly over 65, but income from selling daffodil bulbs is higher than the hard-earned garlic and onions, making the island younger by both enjoying flowers and earning money."

An official from the Sinan-gun Agricultural Technology Center stated, "This bulb sale is significantly higher at 7.14 million KRW, more than twice the average annual income from onions in Jeonnam over the past three years, which was 3.44 million KRW," and added, "Domestic demand for daffodil bulbs is high, but quarantine during import is strict, so domestic demand is not being met. Considering the variety and quantity, daffodil bulbs produced in Seondo, Sinan, will have considerable competitiveness in domestic sales going forward."

Governor Park Woo-ryang said, "The festival held by local residents, the resulting increase in residents' income, and the practice of scenic agriculture present the direction agriculture should take on the small island of Seondo," and added, "Next year, we look forward to welcoming the 1004 Islands Sinan, where flowers bloom all year round on Seondo, the daffodil island of Korea."

Seondo, Jido-eup, Sinan-gun, is a small island (area 6.3 km²) called Cicada Island because the entire island shape resembles a cicada. It is the nation's first and largest daffodil island, with over 1 million daffodil bulbs of more than 20 varieties planted on about 10% of the total field area (90 hectares).