Chungbuk to Purchase 24,000 Tons of Public Reserve Rice by Year-End

Purchased public reserve rice is being neatly moved to one place. The photo is unrelated to the article. Source=Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy (Chungbuk) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Chungbuk Province will purchase 24,262 tons of rice produced locally this year by the end of the year.

The province announced on the 14th that it will purchase 16,982 tons of bagged rice (rice harvested, dried, and packaged) and 7,280 tons of unprocessed rice (rice harvested but not dried) from October 14 to December 31.

The purchase periods are divided as follows: unprocessed rice from October 14 to November 20, and bagged rice from December 12 to December 31. The purchase price will be finalized at the end of December, reflecting the market rice prices surveyed every 10 days during the harvest season (October 5 to December 25).

Immediately after purchasing the rice, the province plans to pay farmers an interim settlement amount of 30,000 KRW per bag (40 kg/rough rice) first, and the remaining balance will be paid in full by the end of the year after the purchase price is finalized. The balance payment will be made between December 28 and 31.

The rice varieties eligible for purchase are limited to up to two per city or county as already designated. The province will collect samples from the target farms (a 5% sample of all farms subject to purchase) and conduct variety verification (DNA testing) at a government-designated private inspection agency. Farmers who participate in the purchase with varieties other than the contracted ones will be excluded from public stockpile purchase eligibility for the next five years.

Additionally, 650 tons of eco-friendly rice will be purchased at the premium price for general rice, undergo residual pesticide inspection (full survey), and be stored separately from general rice. The eco-friendly rice is planned to be supplied for military use on Organic Farming Day (June 2).

A provincial official stated, “Using standardized packaging materials and maintaining moisture content between 13% and 15% when shipping public stockpiled rice can earn a high grade,” and added, “We ask for farmers’ cooperation to ensure all rice is purchased within the purchase period through timely shipment.”

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