Gwangyang-si Secures 2.2 Billion KRW in National Funding for 'Agricultural Products Safety Analysis Lab Operation Public Project'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] Gwangyang Agricultural Technology Center (Director Lee Sang-ho) announced on the 14th that it has been finally selected for the 'Agricultural Product Safety Analysis Laboratory Operation Public Contest Project' hosted by the Rural Development Administration, securing a budget of 1 billion KRW over two years from next year for the purchase of residual pesticide analysis equipment.

The Rural Development Administration received project applications from cities and counties nationwide in the first half of this year, conducted document and presentation evaluations, and finally selected 10 cities and counties, including Gwangyang City and Jindo County in Jeollanam-do.

Once the Agricultural Product Safety Analysis Laboratory is completed in 2022, local farmers will be able to undergo residual pesticide inspections before shipment to comply with the PLS (Positive List System) and adjust the shipment timing of their produced agricultural products for safe shipment monitoring.

Additionally, the safety of agricultural products sold at local direct food markets (currently 4 locations) and food ingredients supplied to public meals such as schools (208 locations) will be secured to protect the health of local residents. It is also expected to play a significant role in protecting the natural environment by guiding farmers to avoid excessive pesticide use.

The Agricultural Product Safety Analysis Laboratory is planned to be installed by expanding the 2nd and 3rd floors (297㎡ per floor) of the Agricultural Microorganism Facility (177 Seocheonbyeon-ro, Gwangyang-eup), and an additional national budget of 1.2 billion KRW has been secured for the expansion.

Upon completion of the expansion construction, farmers will be able to receive five types of beneficial agricultural microorganisms through the Scientific Farming Center (floors 1 to 3) in one building, and if problems arise during crop cultivation, they can request comprehensive diagnostics by analyzing soil, agricultural water, and more.

Heo Nam-il, Director of the Technology Extension Division, said, “With improved consumer trust in agricultural products, it is expected that not only will sales of agricultural products expand, but also losses caused by disposal of agricultural products due to pesticide residues exceeding standards will decrease, preventing damage to farmers.” He added, “Ultimately, we will take the lead in improving the agricultural environment to produce safe agricultural products so that both producers and consumers can be happy.”

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