RDA-Jeonbuk Province Accelerate Development and Distribution of Domestic Paprika Seeds

On the 24th, Cho, Director of the Rural Development Administration, Visits Jeonbuk Province Site... "We Must Foster Domestic Paprika"

The Rural Development Administration and Jeonbuk Province are making swift progress in developing and distributing domestically produced paprika seeds.

According to Jeonbuk Province on the 25th, on the 24th, Cho Jae-ho, Administrator of the Rural Development Administration, visited the Paprika Test Field at the Vegetable Research Institute of Jeonbuk Agricultural Research & Extension Services (Director Choi Jun-yeol) located in Gunsan City. On this day, Administrator Cho reviewed the research status of domestic paprika seed development, a key regional specialty crop of Jeonbuk Province, and exchanged opinions with the staff.

Paprika fruits come in various colors such as red, yellow, and orange. Each color has distinct flavors and nutrient contents. It is a popular vegetable widely used in cooking.

Paprika seeds are mainly imported entirely from Europe. For this reason, the selling price is high, which has prevented large-scale domestic consumption. To resolve this, the province has devoted all efforts to developing domestic seeds, and these efforts are bearing fruit.

Administrator Cho praised the staff for their dedication to developing and distributing domestic varieties based on the research and development achievements so far. He urged them to further strengthen and expand the paprika industry foundation.

Administrator Cho said, "The research to replace paprika seeds that have been entirely imported is impressive," adding, "Please also focus on developing field-centered paprika stable production technologies to prepare for recent frequent abnormal weather conditions such as insufficient sunlight and low temperatures."

On the 24th, Jo Jae-ho, Administrator of the Rural Development Administration, visited the paprika test field at the Jeonbuk Provincial Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute and commemorated the occasion.
[Photo by Jeonbuk Provincial Government]

The paprika cultivation area in the Jeonbuk region is 56 hectares. Namwon area accounts for 25 hectares, which is 45%. It is mainly cultivated in summer. Winter cultivation takes place in the Gimje area.

Since its establishment in 2010, the Paprika Test Field at the Vegetable Research Institute has focused on domesticating paprika seeds and has been dedicated to breeding nine new varieties. The province distributed the self-developed variety 'Minerva Red' to farming households. Starting with 1 hectare in 2022, it increased to 3 hectares last year.

This year, word of mouth among paprika research members in the Namwon area has expanded the cultivation of 'Minerva Red' and 'Leah Red' varieties to 4 hectares in summer cultivation. This accounts for 16% of the summer paprika cultivation area, with 48% of the farming households choosing these varieties.

The province is regarded as an excellent case, investing a total of about 3 billion KRW, including approximately 1.26 billion KRW in national funds over three years, for domestic variety development and distribution to farms. The developed and distributed seeds outperform seeds from Europe, the Netherlands, and other countries in yield per unit area.

The Paprika Test Field at the Vegetable Research Institute is also conducting research under the Rural Development Administration’s regional specialty crop promotion project to "establish a paprika export base and expand domestic and international consumer markets." Along with this, efforts will be made to develop domestic seeds for winter cultivation and high-quality seeds by color and harvest.

The research aims to revitalize the export industry by selecting paprika varieties suitable for export to countries such as China, developing cultivation technologies for high-temperature periods, and expanding consumption through processed product development.

Seo Kyung-won, Director of the Vegetable Research Institute, stated, "We will do our best to satisfy both farmers and consumers through the development of new domestic varieties and high-quality branding," adding, "Through the second phase of the regional specialty project, we will foster export complexes with domestic varieties and continuously strive to promote the excellence of K-Paprika."