Harvest of Early-Maturing Haedam Rice 103 Days After Transplanting
Sacheon City in Gyeongnam announced on the 13th that the first rice harvest has taken place in a 40-hectare paddy field owned by farmer Kim Jeongwoo in Dapyeong-ri, Seopo-myeon. The rice harvested on this day is an ultra-early maturing variety called Haedamssalbyeo, which has a good appearance, strong resistance to rice blast disease, and high lodging resistance. It was harvested 103 days after transplanting on May 1.
Despite challenging conditions in the domestic rice market due to heavy rains, heat waves, and declining rice consumption, the first harvest was made possible by Sacheon City's various support measures aimed at stabilizing farmers' income and producing high-quality rice.
This year, the city implemented the 'Rice Seedling Box Treatment Support Project' with a budget of 750 million won (50% subsidy, 50% self-payment), which enables the control of major pests and diseases. A total of 49,950 bags were provided to local farmers, covering a treatment area of 3,330 hectares.
Additionally, to address the difficulties farmers face in individually spraying pesticides and to ensure timely prevention and control, joint (aerial) pest control using drones, unmanned helicopters, and large-scale sprayers is conducted twice a year. This joint (aerial) pest control helps minimize damage from pests and diseases and partially alleviates the labor shortage among elderly farmers, resulting in high satisfaction among the farming community.
Starting with this Haedamssalbyeo harvest, the city plans to sequentially harvest Jowonbyeo and Haepeumbyeo rice from late August, supplying freshly harvested rice to consumers before Chuseok.
Mayor Park Dongsik said, "I would like to thank our local farmers and fishermen who continue to work in agriculture despite difficult circumstances," and added, "We will continue our efforts to ensure the stable production of high-quality rice."
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