Haenam-gun Establishes Itself as a Cradle for Agricultural Processing Startups

"Haenam Agricultural Products, Increasing Added Value through Processing Startups"

Haenam-gun Agricultural Products Comprehensive Processing Support Center is equipped with 54 types of processing equipment capable of producing agricultural product powders, granules, juices, jams, and more. (Photo by Haenam-gun)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] The Agricultural Products Comprehensive Processing Support Center in Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Myung Hyun-kwan) announced on the 12th that it is playing a solid role as a reliable cradle for small-scale processing farms to start their businesses.

Established in 2018 within the Masan-myeon Food Specialization Complex, the Agricultural Products Comprehensive Processing Support Center is equipped with 54 types of processing equipment capable of converting agricultural products into powders, granules, juices, jams, and more.

The center supports small-scale farms that have not been able to challenge the processing field due to lack of facilities and technology by providing technical support so they can develop various processed foods from the agricultural products they produce themselves.

Centered around participating farms, the Ttangkkeutirang Cooperative was established, and by registering as a food manufacturing and processing business, the ‘Ttangkkeutirang’ joint brand was launched, leading to active production of processed products by the farms.

This year, processed products such as fig jam (Haengbokhan Muhwaga, Dami-ne Farm), barley sprout powder (Hwangsan Yeonho Village), Chodang corn concentrate (Dalkon), Siwhang tea (Namu), and passion fruit syrup (Dami-ne Farm) were commercialized, creating new income sources for the farms.

In particular, member Lee Sin-young of the Ttangkkeutirang Cooperative signed a contract to supply semi-processed Chodang corn concentrate products to a beverage company, and member Kim Sun-ok produces fig jam, passion fruit syrup, and okra tea, steadily supplying products to the Haenam Nonghyup Hanaro Mart local food store, thereby pioneering sales channels.

Member Chae Mi-sook entered products such as misutgaru (traditional grain powder) into the county’s online shopping mall Haenam Miso and also participated in the Jeollanam-do agricultural product package project.

So far, a total of 25 types of processed agricultural products have been commercialized, with this year’s sales exceeding 100 million won, showing steady growth.

The county is also conducting consulting for obtaining HACCP certification for processed products produced at the Agricultural Products Comprehensive Processing Support Center to ensure food safety, focusing on enhancing the image of Ttangkkeutirang processed products and improving consumer trust.

Additionally, the county plans to support technology for developing and commercializing processed foods that meet consumer trends, such as vegetable cubes, fermented rice flour, and semi-processed chestnut pumpkin products, while building a system to distribute the produced processed products through local food direct stores and the Haenam Miso shopping mall.

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