Sancheong-gun Launches Development of New Forest Species Cultivation Complex

‘Sancheong Tium Social Cooperative’ Founding General Meeting

Expected to Lay the Foundation for Forestry Industrialization and Expansion

Group photo of the founding general meeting of the Social Cooperative for the New Forest Species Cultivation Complex in Sancheong-gun, Gyeongnam.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Sancheong-gun, Gyeongnam Province, is making swift progress in fostering a forest new variety cultivation complex.

The county announced on the 17th that it held the inaugural general meeting of the forest new variety cultivation complex, "Sancheong Tium Social Cooperative," at the Sancheong-gun Agricultural Technology Center Future Life Hall.

Previously, in 2021, Sancheong-gun was selected for the Korea Forest Service's public project, the "Forest New Variety Cultivation Complex Pilot Project," and as part of the process to establish the social cooperative, it held a preparatory committee meeting.

The preparatory committee, composed of forestry workers, Sancheong-gun officials, Sancheong-gun Forest Cooperative, village residents, and a social cooperative consulting firm, decided to establish the cooperative after eight detailed discussions.

Accordingly, about 50 members, including forestry workers and residents, held the inaugural general meeting to review and approve the articles of association, appoint executives, and discuss business plans.

Baek Woon-hae (a forestry successor) was elected as the first chairman.

Chairman Baek said, "We will strive to become a successful model of a social cooperative in the forestry sector by thoroughly understanding the strengths and weaknesses of cultivation complexes in other regions and linking with local social enterprises. Through this, we aim to create a cooperative that coexists with local residents by generating high-quality and stable jobs."

The Sancheong Tium Social Cooperative plans to receive establishment approval from the Korea Forest Service next month and aims to obtain preliminary social enterprise certification early next year.

It aims to become a "regionally representative social enterprise" by linking forest new variety and forest product production and sales, seedling production, forestry education, and forestry resource experiential tourism.

County Governor Lee Seung-hwa said, "The forest new variety cultivation complex is expected to be a great foundation for the industrialization using forest new varieties and the expansion of the forestry base in the future."