Naju City in Jeollanam-do has been recognized for its agricultural policy achievements this year, aiming for sustainable agriculture and a revitalized rural community during the 8th term of the elected government.
Naju City (Mayor Yoon Byung-tae) announced on the 15th that it won the Grand Prize in the 2023 Comprehensive Agricultural Policy Evaluation hosted by Jeollanam-do.
Having won the Excellence Award for the past four years from 2019 to 2022, Naju achieved the remarkable feat of being promoted to the Grand Prize this year.
Mayor Yoon Byung-tae (fourth from the left) and the heads and staff of the Agricultural Technology Center are taking a commemorative photo after receiving the grand prize. [Photo by Naju City]
Jeollanam-do evaluated agricultural policy work across 41 items in six categories for 21 cities and counties within the province: ‘Agriculture and Rural Revitalization,’ ‘Promotion of Eco-friendly Agriculture,’ ‘Production of Food and Horticultural Crops,’ ‘Expansion of Agricultural Product Distribution and Food Industry Development,’ ‘Environmentally Friendly Livestock Promotion,’ and ‘Animal Quarantine and Livestock Hygiene Enhancement.’
The city received the highest scores for its efforts and achievements in resolving rural labor shortages. Notable accomplishments included expanding agricultural policy insurance subscription rates (53%), revitalizing distribution of local specialty agricultural products, repeated livestock disease prevention measures, and expanding the foundation for eco-friendly livestock farming.
Additionally, since the launch of the 8th elected government, the city successfully established the foreign seasonal worker introduction system, which has been a key focus to alleviate rural labor shortages.
Foreign seasonal workers, who numbered only 32 last year, increased more than tenfold to 366 this year, providing a much-needed relief to farms struggling with labor shortages amid rural aging, rising agricultural material costs, and increasing labor expenses.
Moreover, through public seasonal workers and the operation of a labor brokerage center, a total of 36,604 domestic and foreign workers were supported across 4,958 farms.
From last year to this year, the city signed business agreements for the introduction of seasonal workers with five cities in the Philippines, Vietnam, Mongolia, and others. In the first half of next year, 545 foreign seasonal workers are scheduled to arrive.
The city is also putting full effort into securing distribution channels for local specialty agricultural products, including Naju pears and rice.
Mayor Yoon Byung-tae achieved sales results in overseas market development, starting with Hannam Chain, the largest Korean-American distribution company in the U.S. last year, followed by Dubai’s Cheonsa Mart (1004 GOURMET) in the United Arab Emirates in June this year, and H Mart in New Jersey, USA, in October.
This month, the city signed a $3 million export promotion agreement (MOU) with Dongyang Agricultural and Marine Products, headquartered in Hanoi, Vietnam, marking a total of $19 million in overseas export agreements since the launch of the 8th elected government.
To revitalize the domestic agricultural product consumption market, 172 stores were opened in Namdo Market, and six direct transaction markets were held in major cities such as Seoul and Sejong City.
Also, selected for the ‘Baro Market’ project hosted by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), the city plans to operate a direct agricultural product market every Friday and Saturday from October 13 to November 25 around Bitgaram Lake Park.
The Baro Market, with a national budget investment of 1 billion KRW over five years, is expected to provide consumers with fresh and safe agricultural products at reasonable prices and secure stable and steady sales channels for farmers.
The ‘Naju Agriculture Festa,’ the first agricultural festival held in conjunction with the Naju Integrated Festival in October, attracted crowds of tourists daily with various events such as promotions for abundant harvest-season specialty agricultural products, agricultural promotion halls, and tasting booths.
During the ten-day festival, more than 30 local agricultural and livestock product companies, including Naju pears, Seji melons, rice, Korean beef, and skate, operated sales booths, achieving sales of 206 million KRW.
Naju, the top region in Jeollanam-do for livestock farming scale, achieved a 96% execution rate in the ‘ICT Convergence Project’ hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The city is leading the distribution of ICT-converged smart livestock equipment and solutions necessary to enhance livestock competitiveness, reduce production costs, optimize feeding management, and scientifically manage odors and quarantine.
Furthermore, to prevent recurring livestock infectious diseases annually, the city has implemented thorough quarantine measures, achieving a 93.5% antibody positivity rate for cattle, pigs, and goats vaccines, 100% update rate of the integrated foot-and-mouth disease vaccine management system for pigs, and a 99.8% implementation rate of the comprehensive cattle brucellosis inspection.
Meanwhile, at the ‘28th Jeollanam-do Farmers’ Day Ceremony’ held on the 10th at Jangseong County Cultural and Arts Center, Kim Bong-ok, CEO of Naju Noan Dol Minari Agricultural Cooperative Corporation, received a commendation from the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Lee Ki-seon, CEO of Joeun Agricultural Cooperative Corporation, Jeong Jong-an, former president of the Naju Korean Beef Association, and Lee Dong-hee, chairman of the Naju Pear Cooperative, were honored with the Jeollanam-do Farmers’ Award.
Bong Jin-ho, representative of the Korea Poultry Association Naju Branch, and Yoon Mi-yeon, a farmer affiliated with the Korea Deer Association Naju Branch, received awards for contributions to agricultural development.
Mayor Yoon Byung-tae said, “Winning the Grand Prize in the Comprehensive Agricultural Policy Evaluation is a meaningful achievement made possible through the cooperation of farmers in various fields, public officials who have worked hard for agricultural development this year, and citizens who support our agricultural products.”
He added, “We will strengthen Naju’s agricultural competitiveness by creating a returning rural community through improving living conditions such as the leading villages for return farming and rural space maintenance projects in Noan Geuman and Munpyeong Oryun villages, and by discovering policies responding to future agricultural environments such as food tech and carbon-neutral food upcycling.”
Naju = Kim Yuk-bong, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy baekok@asiae.co.kr
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