Pohang Premium Apples Win Award at National GAP Certification Excellence Competition

Yeongilman GAP Fruit Producers Association Receives Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Award for Production Sector

Jukjang Apple Farming Association Corporation Awarded Director of National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service Prize

Pohang City announced that at the ‘2024 10th GAP Certification Best Practice Competition’ hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and organized by the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service, Yeongilman GAP Fruit Growers Association (representative Jang Jong-gu) received the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Award (Silver Prize), and Jukjang Apple Farming Association Corporation (representative Gu Tae-hwan) received the Director of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service Award (Bronze Prize).

Jang Jong-gu, representative of Yeongilman GAP Fruit Growers Association, and Koo Tae-hwan, representative of Jukjang Apple Agricultural Cooperative Corporation, who achieved excellent results at the 10th GAP Certification Best Practice Competition, are taking a commemorative photo at Pohang City Hall on the 24th. (From the left, 2nd: Jang Jong-gu, representative of Yeongilman GAP Fruit Growers Association; 3rd: Jeong Gyeong-won, director of Pohang Agricultural Technology Center; 4th: Koo Tae-hwan, representative of Jukjang Apple Agricultural Cooperative Corporation) Photo by Pohang City

The GAP Certification Best Practice Competition is held annually to promote the production of safe agricultural products through excellent management certification and agricultural product traceability management. This year, the award ceremony was held on the 22nd at COEX in Seoul.

GAP certification is a system that supplies hygienic agricultural products by blocking hazards at each stage of agricultural product production, post-harvest management, and distribution according to standards.

This competition was divided into two categories: production and distribution. Winners were selected through document review, on-site inspection, and presentation evaluation. Pohang apples were recognized for excellence in the production category, earning the honor of receiving the Minister’s Award and the Director’s Award respectively.

The Yeongilman GAP Fruit Growers Association, which received the Minister’s Award, consists of 180 members in Heunghae-eup, Buk-gu, cultivating an area of 131 hectares, with an annual shipment volume of 1,092 tons and shipment value of 2.7 billion KRW of GAP-certified apples.

The Jukjang Apple Farming Association Corporation, which received the Director’s Award, consists of 150 members in Jukjang-myeon, Buk-gu, cultivating an area of 170 hectares, with an annual shipment volume of 3,000 tons and shipment value of 8.1 billion KRW of GAP-certified apples.

Additionally, the Yeongilman GAP Fruit Growers Association is a producer member of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Apple Agricultural Cooperative, and the Jukjang Apple Farming Association Corporation is an approved organization of the integrated production-distribution organization, actively contributing to the revitalization of apple specialty product distribution in production areas.

Jung Kyung-won, director of the Pohang Agricultural Technology Center, said, “As a result of efforts to produce excellent and safe agricultural products from the production stage to the sales stage, we expect an expansion in the shipment and sales of Pohang apples,” adding, “We will continue to do our best to secure sales channels such as home shopping and online sales.”