Over 2,000 Members and Families Attend Outdoor Concert at Mungyeong Saejae
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Gwi-yeol] Gyeongbuk Province held the 8th Gyeongbuk Rice Farmers Association Members' Meeting on the 29th at the Mungyeong Saejae Outdoor Performance Hall, hosted by the Korea Rice Farmers Association Gyeongbuk Federation.
The event was attended by about 2,000 people, including Gyeongbuk Province Deputy Governor Kang Seong-jo, Gyeongbuk Provincial Council Vice Chairman Park Young-seo, Agriculture and Fisheries Committee Chairwoman Nam Young-sook, provincial council members, mayors and county heads, heads of related organizations, and rice farmers and their families.
The event was held under the slogan "Opening the Future of Gyeongbuk Rice with Hope and Future," featuring various performances, cultural and sports events, and diverse programs.
This meeting aims to boost the pride of over 10,000 members, build social consensus on the importance of the rice industry, overcome difficult conditions such as rural population decline, aging, and changes in the rice consumption market, and explore the role of farmers centered on consumers. It is held biennially.
The main events included a pre-event performance by a traditional military band and a Nanta percussion show praying for a bountiful harvest, followed by the main event consisting of Part 1: Opening Ceremony, Part 2: Passion Festival, and Part 3: Harmony Festival.
Exhibitions featured agricultural machinery and new product displays, comparative exhibitions of domestic and imported agricultural products, and rice ingredient snack displays, among others.
On this day, there was also an "Outstanding Rice Farmer Award," and a time of harmony with a "Rice Cooking Contest" and "Rice Cake Pounding" using brand rice from each city and county.
Additionally, various cultural and sports events were held, including quizzes on Korean rice farming using O/X questions, rubber shoe throwing, rice sack holding contests, member singing contests, and fireworks.
A rice donation ceremony was held, delivering 1,000 kg of love rice collected from 22 cities and counties to social welfare organizations in Mungyeong, showing the rice farmers' love for their neighbors.
The Korea Rice Farmers Association Gyeongbuk Federation was established in February 1999 and consists of 10,410 members from 22 cities and counties in the province, including Dalseong County in Daegu City.
They work as a farmers' organization that aims to secure national food sovereignty through rice farming, disseminate farming technology, produce high-quality rice, and lead new changes in rural areas.
In his opening address, Hong Ui-sik, president of the provincial federation, said, "Rice accounts for a large portion of farm household income, and given the difficult agricultural conditions caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and falling rice prices, we hope for much support and interest." He emphasized, "This meeting should be a place where over 10,000 members unite with one heart to make a new commitment for the new leap of rice farmers."
Gyeongbuk Province Deputy Governor Kang Seong-jo said in his congratulatory speech, "At a time when we should be celebrating the joy of harvest, the falling rice prices are deepening the worries of rice farmers day by day." He added, "We will expand various provincial farming policies to produce high-quality rice and enhance the competitiveness of the rice industry, and work closely with the central government to stabilize rice prices."
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