Uiryeong County Governor Oh Taewan Visits US
Signs $1.5 Million Export Agreement for Agricultural Products
Uiryeong County in Gyeongnam announced on the 14th that it has set this year's annual export target at a record high of $5 million by opening a permanent overseas store for local agricultural and specialty products, and will provide full support for export activities such as logistics, overseas certification, and marketing for export companies.
During an executive meeting on the 11th, County Governor Oh Taewan said, "Although Uiryeong County is still in its early stages when it comes to exports, my recent visit to the United States convinced me that exports can become a driving force for revitalizing the local economy," adding, "We will not only provide full support to export companies but also actively seek to develop new markets and strengthen export competitiveness."
Uiryeong County Excellent Agricultural Products Overseas Export Agreement Ceremony. [Image provided by Uiryeong County]
On the 26th of last month, Uiryeong County participated in the Agricultural and Fisheries Expo at the 'LA Korean Festival' held at Seoul International Park in Los Angeles, USA, where it exhibited and sold products such as guava, Manggaetteok, mushroom snacks, and native soybean doenjang, achieving sales of 100 million KRW. Thanks to a positive response from local buyers, the county signed export MOUs worth $1.5 million?2.5 times higher than in previous years?marking its best performance ever.
Additionally, the county drew attention by announcing plans to open its first permanent overseas sales store in Los Angeles, USA, next year.
The county also set a concrete goal to increase its annual export performance from just over $3 million to $5 million next year.
O Taewan County Governor Promotes and Sells Uiryeong Agricultural Specialties at Permanent Store in the United States. [Image provided by Uiryeong County]
Uiryeong County will invest 1 billion KRW next year to implement an export expansion policy focused on a dual approach: 'discovering new processed product items and supporting the development of fresh agricultural product production complexes,' covering four areas and six projects. The county will also strengthen its efforts to enter Southeast Asian markets such as Thailand and Vietnam and promote local agricultural and specialty products in overseas markets.
The county plans to use its Agricultural Product Processing Center as an export base, developing and producing a variety of processed agricultural specialty products to increase export items. In particular, to address the relatively weak export of fresh agricultural products, the county is preparing bold policies to reduce the management costs for export farms.
Export companies are welcoming the news. Choi Yuna, CEO of Uiryeong Good Farm, said, "Governor Oh Taewan accompanied us in the US market, which was a great support. The county's promise to help pioneer new markets is a strong motivation," adding, "We realized that Uiryeong's agricultural and specialty products appeal not only to Koreans but also to local Americans, and actual sales results are good. We will take on the challenge with a pioneering spirit."
Lim Taehun (48), CEO of Guava Land, said, "The confirmation of a permanent overseas store is truly welcome news. Exporting is never something that can be done alone. As the county has shown its commitment, we will respond with even better products."
A county official stated, "Compared to other local governments, we are a latecomer in exporting agricultural and specialty products, but the results in the US have greatly improved the atmosphere. The county and local farmers will work together to double or triple our export performance in a short period of time."
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