Expectations Rise for Successful Cultivation of 'Haenam-san Banana'

Actively Promoting Subtropical Crops to Respond to Climate Change Ahead of July Harvest

The couple, Shin Yong-gyun and Hong Hong-geum, from Bukpyeong-myeon, Haenam-gun, are preparing to harvest banana fruits in July from trees that have grown 5 to 6 meters tall in their 600-pyeong greenhouse, with bunches of bananas hanging abundantly on each tree. (Photo by Haenam-gun)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Hyun] Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do announced on the 8th that the couple Shin Yong-gyun (74) and Hong Hong-geum (70, female) from Bukpyeong-myeon are about to harvest bananas in July. The bananas are growing on about 470 banana trees planted last year in a 600-pyeong greenhouse, each tree reaching 5 to 6 meters tall with bunches of bananas hanging.

This year, including Shin Yong-gyun’s farm, two farms covering an area of 0.4 hectares in Haenam are expected to harvest 12 tons of bananas, with projected gross revenue of 60 million KRW.

Bananas can be harvested starting from one year after planting, and if growth conditions are good, they are usually harvested about three times every two years.

Domestic bananas are picked after fully ripening on the tree, resulting in superior taste and aroma. They are cultivated using eco-friendly farming methods, making them highly preferred by consumers compared to imported bananas, which undergo quarantine processes involving high temperatures or pesticide sterilization.

Bananas account for more than 50% of all imported fruits, but the domestic share is only 0.3%, with retail prices about twice as high as imported bananas.

Especially since most domestic production is limited to Jeju Island, where temperatures are higher, the large-scale banana cultivation in Haenam has attracted attention as a sign of the rapid spread of subtropical crops due to climate change.

With banana farming being attempted for the first time inland, agricultural institutions and organizations nationwide, as well as farmers interested in subtropical crops, are showing increasing interest.

Shin Yong-gyun said, “Since I started farming at age 13, I have felt the rapid changes in Korea’s climate over the past 60 years. Naturally, I became interested in subtropical crops, and the warm climate of Haenam requires less facility and heating costs than other regions, which encouraged me to take on banana farming.”

Haenam-gun is actively promoting the cultivation of subtropical crops in response to climate change. At the Agricultural Technology Center, two ICT advanced greenhouses covering 1,000㎡ are used for experimental cultivation of various subtropical crops such as bananas, coffee, pineapple, atemoya, papaya, olive, dragon fruit, and citrus.

Through experimental cultivation, Haenam is verifying regional adaptability and comparing growth conditions based on soil and organic matter. Once appropriate cultivation techniques are established, they will be gradually distributed to local farms for full-scale cultivation and production.

Through Haenam-gun’s subtropical crop pilot projects, various subtropical fruits such as passion fruit, cherry, apple mango, and blackcurrant, as well as subtropical vegetables like bitter melon, have successfully established themselves as new income sources for farmers.

Haenam-gun has the largest cultivation area in Jeollanam-do for subtropical crops, with 23 hectares of figs, along with kiwifruit, loquat, and bitter melon totaling 125 hectares.

In this regard, Haenam-gun is actively pursuing the introduction of new varieties of subtropical crops and the establishment of a climate change response subtropical crop experimental center, as well as attracting a climate change response agricultural research complex for stable production.

As the gateway to climate change on the Korean Peninsula, Haenam has abundant know-how in subtropical crop cultivation and a solid farming base, emphasizing its capability to systematically respond to agricultural research related to climate change.

The county has secured land in Nabum-ri, Samsan-myeon, located at the foot of Duryunsan Mountain, an area with almost no damage from natural disasters such as typhoons, as a candidate site for the research complex. If the experimental center is attracted, facilities will be quickly established to develop Haenam as a hub for agricultural research responding to climate change.

Last year, Haenam prepared a response plan for the climate change response agricultural research complex project and conducted a feasibility study. This year, it enacted the first-ever Haenam-gun Subtropical Agriculture Promotion and Support Ordinance to provide a legal basis for support.

Additionally, through a promotion team composed of the county council, farmer organizations, journalists, and citizen representatives, Haenam is actively expressing its intention to attract the center.

A Haenam-gun official stated, “We believe subtropical crops can become sufficiently competitive due to climate change and changing consumer preferences. We will develop various crops to nurture new income sources for farmers and establish Haenam as a hub for agricultural research responding to climate change in Korea.”

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