Citizen Signature Campaign for Establishing the Nonggwanwon Gwangyang Office
Gwangyang City in Jeollanam-do announced that the number of participants in the petition campaign requesting the establishment of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service (NAQS) Gwangyang Office has exceeded the target of 15,000 people.
Since March 14, Gwangyang City has been conducting the "Petition Campaign for the Establishment of the NAQS Gwangyang Office" to strengthen agricultural competitiveness and resolve inconveniences faced by local farmers.
The petition campaign, aimed at the agricultural population of 15,000 in Gwangyang City, has reached 15,436 participants as of July (2,349 online and 13,087 offline). The campaign saw active participation from Gwangyang Nonghyup, Donggwangyang Nonghyup, Gwangyang MG Saemaeul Geumgo, and high engagement at town and township offices as well as online.
The National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service (NAQS) is an institution responsible for tasks such as certification of eco-friendly agricultural products, registration and management of agricultural business entities, and safety inspections of agricultural products.
The Gwangyang branch of NAQS was integrated into the Suncheon Office in 1998.
The NAQS Gwangyang Sub-office was opened in April 2021.
Farmers began voicing their concerns due to the dualized handling of civil affairs and the limited capacity of the Gwangyang Sub-office in terms of organization size and personnel compared to the Suncheon Office, which restricts the scope of services that can be provided.
Furthermore, among the integrated offices operating within Jeollanam-do, there are only three locations including Gwangyang, and offices have been separately established in counties with relatively fewer farms and farmers than Gwangyang City, such as Wando, Jindo, and Jangseong, which supports the validity of establishing a separate NAQS Gwangyang Office.
Accordingly, the Korea Successor Farmers Association Gwangyang City Chapter (President Lee Gi-wook) and seven other agricultural organizations submitted petitions requesting the establishment of the NAQS Gwangyang Office to NAQS, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the National Assembly, and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. They have also promoted the necessity of establishing the NAQS Gwangyang Office through a joint campaign involving agricultural organizations, local Nonghyup branches, NAQS Suncheon and Gwangyang offices, and government officials, conducting a city-wide petition campaign.
Song Myung-jong, Director of the Agricultural Policy Division, stated, "We plan to deliver the petition signatures to the NAQS headquarters in August after collecting them until the end of July." He added, "The petition campaign will continue until the end of December this year, and participation is possible both online via the Gwangyang City Hall website and offline at town and township offices or local Nonghyup branches." He also said, "We hope for the interest and participation of not only local farmers but all citizens so that a regional NAQS office can be established in Gwangyang."
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