Gyeongbuk Province Agricultural Products Direct Market 'Baro Market' Popular... 25% Surpasses This Year's Target

After Opening in Late June... 44,000 Visitors and 1.25 Billion KRW in Sales

The 'Baro Market,' a direct agricultural product market operated by Gyeongbuk Province.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] 'Baro Market,' a direct agricultural product marketplace managed by Gyeongbuk Province, has established itself as a nationwide representative food landmark, surpassing 25% of its annual sales target of 1 billion KRW since its opening at the end of June this year despite the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

The entrusted operating institution, Gyeongsangbuk-do Agricultural Resources Management Institute, supplies about 1,000 fresh agricultural products twice a week on Saturdays and Sundays from 61 farms that directly cultivate fruits and vegetables, selling them at reasonable prices.

All items sold at Baro Market are on average more than 20% cheaper than those at regular supermarkets.

According to the agricultural product distribution information from aT (Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation), as of 2017, the distribution cost rate for agricultural and livestock products was about 44.4% on average. Gyeongbuk Province explains that Baro Market significantly reduces the complex and inefficient distribution structure, which involves 5 to 7 stages, by allowing producers to sell their cultivated products directly.

Looking at Baro Market's performance this year, the total number of visitors since opening is 44,174, and the number of registered members on its own app (APP) is 6,134. The total sales amount reached 1.2005 billion KRW, exceeding the annual sales target of 1 billion KRW by 25%. The average purchase amount per customer is about 30,000 KRW, and the average purchase frequency per customer is 2.8 times.

Kim Jong-su, Director of the Agricultural and Livestock Distribution Bureau of Gyeongbuk Province, emphasized, "We will supplement the shortcomings in operation over the year and make Baro Market Gyeongsangbuk-do branch a marketplace where consumers can frequently visit and purchase safe food when it opens in April next year."

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