Uiryeong-gun Agricultural Products Processing Center Supports Startup, Processing, and Education

76 National Certification Holders... Significant Educational Impact

The Agricultural Product Processing Center in Uiryeong-gun, Gyeongnam, announced on the 13th that it supports startups by developing and producing various products using local agricultural products. Through this, Uiryeong farmers will become startup experts through diverse education and practical training.

In 2013, Uiryeong-gun completed the Agricultural Product Comprehensive Processing Center, the second of its kind in Gyeongnam, with a total area of 460㎡, investing 1 billion KRW through a Rural Development Administration contest.

Exterior view of Uiryeong Agricultural Products Processing Center. [Image provided by Uiryeong County]

The center is equipped with 44 types of processing equipment including freeze dryers and stick packaging machines, and produces various processed agricultural products such as fruit and vegetable beverages, concentrates, jams, dried products, and powders through hygienic anterooms, wet and dry processing rooms, grinding rooms, and packaging rooms.

The Uiryeong Agricultural Product Processing Center serves as an advanced base for agricultural product processing technology, supporting farmers in processing and startup activation. In particular, it alleviates the investment burden of startup facility equipment for farmers through shared use of facilities, supports production technology for startups, and helps resolve difficulties related to processing.

Currently, as the population of returnees to farming increases in Uiryeong-gun, the production items show characteristics of small-lot, multi-variety production, and farmers are increasingly interested in enhancing added value through processing. Farmers are focusing on systematic startup incubation programs to acquire professional knowledge related to food manufacturing and processing registration and to secure various sales channels.

In response to this demand, the county operates product development and production, and agricultural product processing startup education programs, and supports product promotion, distribution, and sales.

Agricultural Product Processing Startup Academy Marketing Course.
[Image provided by Uiryeong-gun]

Since 2012, Uiryeong-gun has been operating the Agricultural Product Processing Startup Academy to improve farmers' professional processing capabilities. The academy fills its recruitment quota early every year, and graduates can produce prototypes using the processing center's equipment.

Graduates receive additional points for processing-related support projects, which is a significant advantage. Up to last year, 443 people have completed the academy, and 76 have obtained national technical qualifications such as Food Processing Technician and Rice Cake Manufacturing Technician.

The educational effect has led to actual startups, with 25 businesses launched and 59 processing businesses supported so far. Since enacting the 'Uiryeong-gun Ordinance on Fostering and Supporting Small-scale Food Processing Businesses in Farms' in 2015, the county has been engaged in foundational projects to support the establishment of new business sites, improve facilities of existing aging business sites, and build equipment. This year alone, it is supporting seven projects with a budget of 1.27 billion KRW, including rural resource complex projects and facility and equipment improvement support for farmers' processing business sites.

Seong Eui-jeong, CEO who started a traditional Korean confectionery specialty store, said, "Without the Agricultural Product Processing Startup Academy I attended for six years, I could not have even imagined starting a business. The level-based learning divided into basic and advanced, repetitive practice, and customized case education were perfect. Especially, clearly understanding difficult parts such as regulations and laws was a great help in preparing for the startup."

The county is also involved in promotional education necessary for startups and marketing to secure sales channels after startup. It has opened an agricultural product processing marketing class where participants learn brand marketing strategies and online platform content management, and operates direct transaction markets to introduce products to urban consumers.

In particular, the county developed the agricultural product comprehensive processing center brand 'Ttreseum,' registered the trademark with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and is utilizing it for product promotion.

Song Ji-yeon, CEO of the agricultural corporation The Boonong, said, "What clearly differentiates this from other processing-related education is that it understands promotional trends and examines the possibility of startup success from a marketing perspective."

Meanwhile, Uiryeong residents who have completed the Agricultural Product Processing Startup Academy can use the Agricultural Product Comprehensive Processing Center using their own produced agricultural products and can produce prototypes through this.

The county plans to expand the use of processing facilities in the future and promote various programs using educational facilities. It also plans to open production and educational facilities to local consumers to promote processed agricultural products and further enhance trust in safe food.

County Governor Oh Tae-wan stated, "The Agricultural Product Comprehensive Processing Center will be further utilized as an educational venue that reduces the technical and investment burdens related to processing startups and disseminates field-centered technology. We will strive to help increase farm income by creating added value through stable agricultural product processing."