Gangjin-gun Harvests 'Noble Tomatoes' with Black Skin and Red Flesh

Choi Kwang-ho and Shin Sun-young, a couple, are harvesting 'Chocoball' tomatoes at Yejin Farm in Chillyang-myeon, Gangjin-gun. (Photo by Gangjin-gun)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-su] On the 22nd, Gangjin-gun, Jeollanam-do announced that the couple Choi Kwang-ho and Shin Sun-young at Yejin Farm in Yeongdong-ri, Chillyang-myeon, are busy harvesting ‘Choco Ball’ tomatoes, which are egg-sized and called noble tomatoes due to their superior taste and nutritional content.

The black tomato Choco Ball, originally from Israel, is exclusively cultivated at Yejin Farm in Korea.

The tomatoes at Yejin Farm, which completed planting in August and began harvesting in November, are expected to yield a total of 68 tons by June next year, and can be easily purchased by searching for ‘Choco Ball Tomato’ online.

Since 2007, smart agriculture has been introduced in facilities and the environment to reduce pests and diseases and improve quality, earning GAP certification. Compared to regular tomatoes, these have thinner skins for better texture, contain more than three times the amount of lycopene, an antioxidant, and have significantly higher levels of beta-carotene and vitamin C, making them very popular.

The couple, Choi Kwang-ho and Shin Sun-young, who have 17 years of experience in tomato farming, have been recognized for their passion for tomatoes, development of new farming techniques breaking away from traditional methods through black tomato cultivation, and contribution to increasing farmers’ income. They received the New Farmer of the Month Award from the Nonghyup Jeonnam Regional Headquarters in October, and on the 11th of last month, they were honored with an invitation to the 25th Farmers’ Day event hosted by the Blue House.

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