South Korea Agriculture & Food insights

[Livestock and Fisheries News=Reporter Kim Sinji] The Korea Native Chicken Association held a 'Love Native Chicken Sharing Event' on August 8 at the Cheongmin Senior Welfare Center in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. The event was organized to care for the health of local seniors who are weary from the heat, as they welcome the dog days, and to promote the excellence of our native chickens and the value of traditional food culture. With the sponsorship of the Sharing Livestock Movement Headquarters, the event distributed 200 native chickens (worth 3 million won) to seniors as a summer health food. The event was attended by Moon Jeong-jin, President of the Korea Native Chicken Association, Lee Jong-won, Secretary General of the Sharing Livestock Movement Headquarters, Choi Dae-yeol, Director of the Cheongmin Senior Welfare Center, as well as local residents and welfare center staff.

[Korean Farmers' News Agency, Reporter Kim Young-min] KyungNong is accelerating the smart farm establishment project in the Philippines, which is being carried out as a service by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). According to KyungNong, the first Business Operation Committee for the "Enhancement of High-Income Crop Value Chain in the Surigao Region through Smart Agriculture" was recently held, co-chaired by KOICA's Philippines Office Director Jeong Young-sun and Cheryl Marie Natividad Caballero, Vice Director of the High Value Crop Development Program at the Philippine Department of Agriculture. The Enhancement of High-Income Crop Value Chain in the Surigao Region through Smart Agriculture will be carried out over a five-year period from 2023 to 2027 with an 8 million dollar grant from KOICA.

(Jeonju=Yonhap News) Reporter Nabo Bae = The Jeonbuk Provincial Federation of the National Farmers' Federation of Korea (JeonNong) expressed concern over the government's decision to supply rice (paddy) through a "lending" method, stating, "It is only talk of lending, but it will lead to a drop in rice prices by releasing it." The Jeonbuk Provincial Federation of JeonNong issued a statement on the 12th, criticizing, "Since the harvest season last year, rice prices have risen, but the profits have been taken by the agricultural cooperatives, rice processing centers (RPC), or large distribution companies, not the farmers." They added, "As the harvest season approaches, if the government releases rice into the market, the price of new rice this year will inevitably fall." Previously, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs decided to supply 30,000 tons of government rice to distribution companies in mountainous areas with insufficient supply on a "lending" basis, as the retail price of rice had risen by more than 10% compared to last year, approaching 60,000 won per 20 kg. This method involves lending rice stored by the government to the private sector, and then receiving it back in the form of production after the harvest season this year. The organization emphasized, "The release of rice must have a valid reason," and "If this method is the government's so-called 'supply and demand stabilization' policy for farmers, it is laughable. The government will be leading the drop in rice prices." They further stated, "With the climate crisis, rice production and distribution are bound to become even more unstable," and "If the policy of releasing paddy is not withdrawn, we will take action."