"Help Farms Affected by COVID-19" GS The Fresh Special Sale on Fresh Garlic and Seohong Potatoes

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] GS Retail’s supermarket GS The Fresh announced on the 13th that it will hold the ‘Goheung Farm Support Event,’ which gathers agricultural products from Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, for about one month until the 3rd of next month.

The Goheung Farm Support Event aims to secure sales channels and increase income for garlic farmers in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, who are struggling due to a drop in agricultural product consumption and price collapse caused by the recent COVID-19 pandemic.

GS The Fresh has taken on the role of a win-win marketplace. Following the purchase of about 700 million KRW worth of Goheung-grown main garlic this year, it is showcasing various specialties including garlic for pickling, onions, cucumbers, and garlic scapes. From 2015 to 2019, GS The Fresh purchased approximately 420,000 bundles of Goheung-grown main garlic, generating about 4 billion KRW in sales.

On the previous day (the 12th), a ‘Goheung-gun Special Product Exhibition’ was held in front of the Myeongil branch store in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, where Goheung main garlic and onions were sold at special prices. Visitors were also offered free tastings of Goheung pomegranate juice and a rice giveaway event. Song Gui-geun, the mayor of Goheung-gun, visited the site to personally observe the sales promotion and expressed his gratitude.

Main garlic is garlic harvested in May this year, pulled out with roots intact without cutting the long stems with leaves attached. It is grown in Goheung’s fertile soil with abundant sunlight. It has a mild spiciness and a crunchy texture, making it suitable for eating with leafy vegetables or for garlic pickling.

Meanwhile, as the second phase of the regional agricultural product win-win marketplace, GS The Fresh will exclusively sell ‘Seohong Potatoes’ from Miryang, Gyeongsangnam-do starting today. Seohong potatoes are round in shape with a reddish skin similar to sweet potatoes. They have a soft and fluffy texture after enduring the winter. GS The Fresh has partnered with seven farms in Miryang to conduct pre-contract cultivation on a 6,000-pyeong (approximately 19,834 square meters) potato field and will sell about 100 tons of potatoes in 1.2kg bags for 4,980 KRW each.

Jung Yi-dong, head of the vegetable team at GS Retail, said, “The win-win marketplace held by GS The Fresh this time is an effort to provide stable sales channels for farmers and offer customers high-quality excellent products at affordable prices, benefiting both customers and farmers.” He added, “GS The Fresh will continue mutual cooperation with local governments and expand the handling of major agricultural products from production areas nationwide.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.