RDA Selected for 'Specialty Resource Convergence Technology Support' Contest... Secures 500 Million KRW in National Funding
Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province will invest 1 billion KRW in developing processed products such as snacks and ice cream using the local specialty 'Baekok rice' and bok choy.
On the 2nd, Yongin City announced that it secured 500 million KRW in national funds for the development project of rice processed products featuring the city character 'Joayang' after being selected in the Rural Development Administration's '2025 Specialty Resource Convergence Technology Support' contest.
Yongin City has created a bread product combining the city character 'Joayang' and the local specialty 'Baekok Rice.' The city plans to invest 1 billion KRW to develop snacks and ice cream using Baekok Rice and bok choy. [Photo by Yongin City]
'Specialty Resource Convergence Technology Support' is a project conducted annually targeting agricultural technology centers nationwide to support convergence technologies that link regionally specialized crops, research and development technologies, and agricultural and rural resources, aiming to develop differentiated specialty products suited to the characteristics of each region.
Earlier, since May, the city has been developing bread that combines the city character 'Joayang' and the representative agricultural product brand 'Baekok rice' as a customized rice processed product to create added value for farmers and also utilize it as a city tourism product.
With the 500 million KRW secured from this contest and an additional 500 million KRW from the city budget, the city plans to commercialize various processed products such as rice snacks and rice ice cream using Baekok rice and the city specialty bok choy by the end of 2026.
Through this, the city aims to extend the role of agriculture beyond just producing agricultural products to food processing, distribution, sales, and tourism industry revitalization, thereby stabilizing farmers' income and promoting regional development.
Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin, said, "If we develop various processed products using Baekok rice and present them to consumers, it will create synergy effects such as promoting rice consumption and strengthening city branding through regional specialty products." He added, "We will strive to introduce products that satisfy citizens by developing regional specialty products that embody Yongin's identity."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
