In Naju City, Jeollanam-do, the nation's largest pear production area (Mayor Yoon Byung-tae), the "Cheonnyeonium Naju Pear," introduced last year, is captivating consumers nationwide with its excellent taste and quality.
According to Naju City on the 16th, Cheonnyeonium Naju Pear is a pear brand name that has passed the "Naju Mayor's Quality Assurance System."
Naju Mayor Yoon Byung-tae is inspecting the quality, production, and distribution status of the pear brand "Cheonnyeon I-eum Naju Pear," which is certified under the "Market Certification Quality Assurance System." [Photo by Naju City]
This pear, certified for quality by the mayor, is strictly selected and distributed based on standards such as no use of growth regulators (No GA) from the production stage, sugar content of 12 brix or higher, color, and freshness.
This year, 140 tons of No GA Cheonnyeonium Naju Pear of the Singo variety were shipped during the Lunar New Year holiday, establishing itself as a key contributor to restoring the reputation of Naju pears as a global premium fruit.
Previously, starting with 13 tons of new varieties Shinwha and Changjo pears during last year's Chuseok holiday, 3 tons of Chuhwang pears during the off-season after the holiday, and 28 tons of Singo pears were shipped, achieving a total shipment volume of 184 tons by this year's Lunar New Year holiday.
In particular, the farm gate price increased by 12,500 KRW for 5 kg and 18,700 KRW for 7.5 kg compared to regular (special grade) pears, providing a substantial boost to farmers' income.
The city plans to capitalize on this momentum by focusing on farm-level education and on-site consulting to establish a systematic high-quality pear production, selection, and distribution system to improve farmers' income.
Additionally, in collaboration with the National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science's Pear Research Center, the city will provide cultivation manuals for new pear varieties such as Shinwha and Changjo to farmers to minimize quality variations according to pear varieties.
For farms participating in the quality assurance system, specialized collective training on new variety growth stages and post-harvest management techniques will be conducted three times a year, and systematic know-how from pear production to distribution and sales will be transferred.
From next month until the pear harvest season, about 80 on-site consultations will be provided by visiting farmers' orchards directly.
Through professional technical guidance on harvest timing by variety, the city aims to fully deploy quality-assured Naju pears to the consumer market and firmly establish it as a leading domestic fruit brand that consumers can trust and purchase year-round.
Mayor Yoon Byung-tae said, "For continuous customer acquisition, producing delicious and high-quality pears is most important," adding, "We will strengthen systematic technical education and on-site consulting to expand the market certification quality assurance system, as well as thorough quality control and promotional marketing to secure recognition not only domestically but also in overseas markets."
Naju = Kim Yuk-bong, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy baekok@asiae.co.kr
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