Gwangyang Agricultural Organizations Propose Establishment of Nonggwanwon Gwangyang Office

Over 15,000 Gwangyang Farmers Petition for Installation of Yeomwon

The Korea Next-Generation Farmers Association Gwangyang City Federation and seven other agricultural organizations in the Gwangyang area announced on the 10th that they have requested the establishment of a Gwangyang office of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service (hereinafter referred to as NAQS).

In their petition sent to the National Assembly and NAQS, they stated, "Since the closure of the NAQS Gwangyang office in July 1998, a significant amount of time has been required to visit the Suncheon office to handle related tasks," and appealed, "Despite the large agricultural sector in Gwangyang, there is no NAQS office here, causing decades of inconvenience."

[Photo by Gwangyang-si]

They continued, "NAQS plays a crucial role on the agricultural front and is an indispensable government agency," and requested, "Please promptly establish a Gwangyang office to alleviate the sense of alienation among Gwangyang farmers and to ensure stable agricultural production amid climate change."

As of the end of 2023, Gwangyang's eco-friendly certified area covers 2,284 hectares, ranking fifth among 22 cities and counties in Jeollanam-do, and the number of farmers is 15,026, ranking ninth. Despite this, the absence of a NAQS regional office in Gwangyang is a clear case of regional discrimination, they argued.

Lee Ki-wook, president of the Korea Next-Generation Farmers Association Gwangyang City Federation, said, "Gwangyang is a metropolitan-rural complex city where 10% of the population are farmers, yet there has been a lack of interest in agriculture so far," adding, "This time, centered on the Korea Next-Generation Farmers Association, we will join forces with agricultural organizations to actively push for the establishment of the NAQS Gwangyang office."

He also added, "The government should support residents to engage in agriculture in better environments, and protecting our rural areas is the way to safeguard future food security."

Meanwhile, the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service is an agency responsible for eco-friendly agricultural product certification, agricultural management entity registration and management, and agricultural product safety investigations. In Jeollanam-do, only Gwangyang, Gurye, and Sinan among the cities and counties lack NAQS regional offices.