Senegalese Ambassador to Korea Visiting Gyeongbuk Agricultural Research Institute "Hopes to Transfer Advanced Rice Cultivation Technology"

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Dong-wook] Mamadou Gaye Faye, the Ambassador of Senegal to Korea, visited the Gyeongbuk Agricultural Technology Institute on the 3rd to tour agricultural research sites in Gyeongsangbuk-do, excellent agricultural machinery training facilities, and the latest rice research fields.

According to Gyeongbuk Province, the Senegalese ambassador requested the Agricultural Technology Institute to share agricultural machinery and scientific farming information necessary for the project jointly promoted by the Gyeongbuk Agricultural Technology Institute and the Saemaul Globalization Foundation to transfer Korea's advanced rice cultivation technology.

Senegal, located on the central Atlantic coast of Africa, has traditional agriculture centered on small-scale family farming. Major crops include rice, peanuts, millet, sugarcane, and onions. Fruits and vegetables such as watermelon, tomato, and mango, as well as tropical fruits, are also produced in large quantities.

Due to low rainfall, rice produced in fields remains at about 40% of Korea's production level. However, since 2014, with the dispatch of experts from Korea's Agricultural Technology Institute and the establishment of Saemaul pilot villages, Gyeongsangbuk-do explains that applying locally suitable farming methods has led to increased agricultural yields.

In particular, the regions of M?nggenboi and Umborobin in Senegal have been conducting Saemaul projects since 2016 through regional governance established with Gyeongsangbuk-do. Linked with the Senegalese government's agricultural mechanization projects, national-level farming demonstration complexes are being operated.

Mamadou Gaye Faye, the Senegalese Ambassador to Korea, said, "Gyeongsangbuk-do is not only the birthplace of the Saemaul Movement but is also known for excellent cultivation techniques for various crops and advanced labor-saving technologies using various agricultural machinery." He added, "Especially after experiencing mechanized rice transplanting, I feel the need for continuous exchange and cooperation to acquire Gyeongbuk's advanced rice cultivation technology in the future."

Choi Ki-yeon, Director of the Gyeongbuk Agricultural Technology Institute, stated, "We hope that the institute will play a central role in the Korean Wave of agriculture in Senegal by practically applying Gyeongbuk's advanced agricultural cultivation and machinery technologies needed in Senegal."

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