[Feature Report] Agriculture Full of Life, Returning Rural Naju City Shines with 'Agricultural Policy Achievements'

Ministry of Agriculture Food Region Food Index Evaluation 'Grand Prize'

Jeonnam Province Agricultural Administration Wins 'Excellence Award'

Restoring Naju Pear Reputation and Exporting Agricultural Specialties Abroad

Introducing Seasonal Workers and Improving Living Conditions Draw Attention

2023 Jeonnam Province Agricultural Administration Evaluation ‘Grand Prize’. Naju City had won the Excellence Award for four consecutive years from 2019 to 2022 in this evaluation. While the Excellence Award was impressive, Naju City, which had long yearned for the Grand Prize, finally achieved this great feat this year.

Additionally, in December, Naju made a remarkable achievement by winning the Grand Prize (S grade) in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ regional food index evaluation, following three consecutive Grand Prizes until last year. This is the current status of Naju agriculture under the 8th elected administration.

Agricultural organizations in the region such as Seji Nonghyup Melon Cooperative and Algok Farming Association received the Presidential Citation at this year’s Farmers’ Day ceremony, and the Takju ‘Labong’ produced by Dado Chamjuga (located in Dado-myeon) won the only Grand Prize in the Takju category at the Korea Traditional Liquor Competition, marking a double celebration.

Naju City won the 'Grand Prize' in the comprehensive evaluation of agricultural administration by Jeollanam-do.
[Photo by Naju City]

This achievement is backed by various agricultural policies vigorously promoted by Mayor Yoon Byung-tae under the banner of ‘Sustainable Agriculture, Returning Rural Areas’ to resolve issues faced by rural society such as population outflow and aging, and to secure future agricultural competitiveness.

Mayor Yoon emphasized the value of ‘Sikyakdongwon’ (食藥同源) regarding local agricultural products at the Local Food Producers Advancement Conference held last month. It means ‘food is as important as medicine.’

Farmers produce safe food. Consumers trust and purchase local food with faces, produced and distributed on the same day. Local governments invigorate rural areas by resolving rural labor shortages, securing sales channels for agricultural products, supporting management, and fostering future agriculture. With the virtuous cycle of the three pillars?‘producers-consumers-administration’?Naju is advancing toward a sustainable agricultural society.

▲ Beyond Naju Local Food Self-Reliance to an Agricultural Icon

Under the banner of ‘Sustainable Agriculture, Returning Rural Areas,’ efforts have focused on organizing farms for planned production and distribution systems, expanding cooperative stores and related markets, certifying safe food, and securing sales channels in the metropolitan area.

Since the 8th elected administration, the number of registered local food farms increased from 672 farms in the previous year to 725 farms (as of November 30), and through agreements with Naju Nonghyup and Yeongsanpo Nonghyup, the number of cooperative stores increased to four this year.

The Naju Local Food Direct Store, opened in 2015, surpassed cumulative sales of 32 billion KRW (as of November 30, 2023), and the sales of ‘Naju Mall,’ an online sales channel for local agricultural specialties, increased by 158% from 109 million KRW last year to 282 million KRW as of the end of November this year.

Remarkable achievements were also made in the public meal supply sector, which supplies fresh ingredients daily. Sales channels expanded to the private sector, including Bitgaram General Hospital, Namyang Dairy Naju Factory, and Jungheung Gold Lake, discovering 27 supply destinations. Sales of agricultural products supplied to public meal services in the metropolitan and large cities reached 2.4 billion KRW (from the 8th elected administration to November 30).

Agreements to expand exchanges between producers and consumers were signed with Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, and Gangnam-gu and Seocho-gu in Seoul, confirming the competitiveness of Naju local food by selling local food agricultural product packages worth 65 million KRW in the metropolitan area this year.

Naju City has introduced and implemented the ‘Naju Local Food Certification System’ since August last year to secure consumer trust by guaranteeing the safety of food produced on farms.

This system applies certain safety standards to mountain-grown agricultural and livestock products and processed foods, displaying certification marks on shipped products. Farmers supplying certified safe mountain-grown agricultural products gain trust and income, and consumers can purchase fresh food with confidence, establishing a reliable system.

The vision proclamation ceremony for 'Premium Naju Pear Great Transformation' in Naju City.
[Photo by Naju City]

▲ Restoring the Reputation of Naju Pears, Cultivating Representative Agricultural Products by Region

Naju City is striving to enhance competitiveness by restoring the reputation of its specialty, Naju pears. Notably, the city introduced the ‘Naju Pear Quality Assurance System,’ where the mayor guarantees taste and quality.

The highest-grade pears, commercialized after strict selection processes including untreated growth regulator treatment, sugar content of 12 Brix or higher, color, and freshness, are designated and presented to consumers. Named ‘Cheonnyeonium Naju Pear,’ trademarks, QR codes, and stickers were produced for quality-assured pear management and promotion.

Especially, packaging boxes of 3, 5, and 7.5 kg were developed, with the 3 kg cake-shaped box receiving favorable reviews from consumers as a gift item. The city is promoting new variety sapling support such as Shinwha, Changjo, and Super Gold to alleviate concentration on the Singo variety, enhancing consumer awareness and distribution activation policies, while minimizing indiscriminate market distribution of low-quality fruit by shipping them for processing through cooperative shipping organizations and isolating them from the market at the sorting stage.

The city also focuses on cultivating representative agricultural products by region. The goal is to achieve nationwide branding and export commercialization through fostering regionally representative agricultural products such as strawberries in Nampyeong-eup, melons in Seji-myeon, oriental melons in Wanggok-myeon, and water parsley in Noan-myeon, thereby increasing farmers’ income.

Production bases for each item are expanded through the distribution of modernized cultivation facilities, support for ICT convergence facilities, and a cultivation technology guidance responsibility system. The city plans to foster cooperative shipping organizations for each item, induce systematic shipping linked with hub APCs and regional agricultural cooperatives, and promote branding support projects such as trademark development and farm organization consulting.

Naju City signed a $3 million export promotion agreement (MOU) for Naju agricultural and marine products with Vietnam Dongyang Agricultural and Marine Products.
[Photo by Naju City]

▲ Accelerating Overseas Exports of Naju Agricultural Specialties

Mayor Yoon Byung-tae is making every effort to secure distribution channels for local agricultural specialties including Naju pears and rice. Starting with the Korean-American distribution company Hannam Chain last year, Naju City achieved sales efforts to secure overseas market channels this year, including Dubai’s Cheonsa Mart (1004 GOURMET) in the United Arab Emirates in June and H Mart in New Jersey, USA, in October.

In November, an MOU was signed with Dongyang Agricultural and Marine Products, headquartered in Hanoi, Vietnam, to promote exports of Naju agricultural and marine products worth 3 million USD. Since the launch of the 8th elected administration, export agreements worth 19 million USD have been realized, serving as a bridge for overseas promotion of Naju agricultural specialties and substantial income increases for farmers.

Naju City signed a business agreement with Mongolia's Battsengel and Ukhinor counties to introduce foreign seasonal workers.
[Photo by Naju City]

▲ ‘A Rain in the Drought of Labor’ Foreign Seasonal Workers Increase Tenfold Compared to Last Year

Since the launch of the 8th elected administration, Naju City has successfully established the foreign seasonal worker introduction system, a key policy to resolve rural labor shortages. The number of foreign seasonal workers, which was only 32 last year, increased more than tenfold to 366 this year, providing a much-needed relief to farms suffering from triple hardships of rural aging, rising agricultural material costs, and labor costs.

Especially, the average daily wage, which had been maintained around 140,000 KRW during the busy farming season, dropped to around 110,000?120,000 KRW thanks to active labor support policies and ordinance enactment, resulting in a labor cost reduction effect of at least 3.5 billion KRW for farms.

Along with seasonal workers, the city supported a total of 4,958 farms with 36,604 domestic and foreign workers through public seasonal workers and operation of a labor brokerage center. Thanks to these achievements, more foreign seasonal workers are expected to be deployed to Naju farms next year.

Since last year, the city has signed agreements with five cities including the Philippines, Vietnam, and Mongolia to introduce seasonal workers. In the first half of next year, 545 foreign seasonal workers are scheduled to enter the country.

This is 1.6 times the number of 366 seasonal workers deployed to farms this year, and combined with the expected 50 to 100 public seasonal workers, about 600 seasonal workers are expected to assist farm labor in the first half of next year alone.

Naju City's first project of the 'Rural Vitality Vacant House Regeneration' initiative (Masang Village, Wanggok-myeon).
[Photo by Naju City]

▲ Repairing Empty Houses and Revitalizing Villages to Accelerate ‘Returning Rural Areas’

Naju City is focusing on ‘Returning Rural Areas’ in response to rural population extinction, concentrating on improving rural residential environments and promoting the influx of returnees and new settlers.

Long-neglected empty rural houses are being converted into temporary residences for returnees and new settlers. Through the new Rural Vitality Empty House Regeneration Project, six empty houses were remodeled this year: one each in Wanggok, Seji, and Dado-myeon, and three in Gongsan-myeon. The renovated empty houses will be used as temporary homes for returnees and new settlers for five years after a resident recruitment process.

Currently, residents have moved into houses in Seji-myeon and Dado-myeon, and move-in is scheduled for February next year in Wanggok-myeon. Recruitment for residents in the three houses in Gongsan-myeon will begin on the 25th of this month.

Naju City has allocated a budget of 150 million KRW for the empty house regeneration project next year. This reflects Mayor Yoon Byung-tae’s determination to overcome rural population extinction not by creating new villages but by revitalizing existing ones. Eligible residents are prospective returnees and new settlers wishing to move to and settle in Naju City from outside the city.

In Noan Geuman Village and Munpyeong Oryong Village, large-scale pig farms causing foul odors are being demolished, and ‘Rural Space Maintenance’ projects are underway to improve residential conditions. These projects were selected for two consecutive years in a contest hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs last year and this year.

Noan Geuman Village will receive a total of 23 billion KRW, including 11.5 billion KRW in national funds. Two large pig farms causing odor problems at the village entrance will be demolished, and the space will be developed into a nurturing complex for returnees and new settlers, including rental housing, coexistence houses, communal gardens, smart greenhouses, and coexistence parks. The detailed design is currently underway.

Munpyeong Oryong Village will receive a total of 18 billion KRW, including 9 billion KRW in national funds. One pig farm and three long-abandoned empty houses will be demolished. The renovated space will include temporary accommodations for foreign seasonal workers, 10 rental houses for returnees and new settlers, smart farms, agricultural training centers, and a Turtle Ship-themed multipurpose exchange plaza. The detailed design is underway.

Naju City is also designating model villages for returnees and new settlers. From this year to 2029, six villages will be selected annually and supported with up to 2 billion KRW per village for basic infrastructure, residential environment and regional landscape improvement, and capacity building. Eligible villages are those capable of securing 10% or more returnee and new settler households.

Naju = Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong yjm3070@asiae.co.kr