Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Announces Recruitment for Excellent Food Ingredients Consumption Expansion Project Participants

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 13th that it has been recruiting candidates for the ‘Establishment of a Foundation for Expanding Consumption of Excellent Ingredients’ project since the 10th to stabilize the management of dining establishments struggling due to COVID-19.

The Establishment of a Foundation for Expanding Consumption of Excellent Ingredients project supports the costs necessary for organizing dining establishments to jointly purchase ingredients such as rice, salt, onions, and kimchi. To alleviate the burden of ingredient costs on the dining industry, the Ministry expanded the support limit from 5 million KRW to 10 million KRW in 2020, and this year, it will support 50 locations with the same amount.

The eligible applicants are groups and organizations composed of multiple dining establishments, such as excellent dining districts designated by the Ministry, dining-related corporations, associations, and prosperity associations. They receive support for various expenses related to joint ingredient purchases, including logistics costs, warehouse rental fees, consulting fees, and labor costs. Groups and organizations planning to organize are also included, and 100% of the execution amount is supported.

Project participants must purchase domestic ingredients worth at least twice the amount of the support fund, and the relevant local governments will regularly inspect and manage the project progress to ensure smooth fulfillment of project obligations.

Groups and organizations wishing to apply for the project can do so through the relevant local government (city, county, district) by March 12, and detailed information can be found on the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs website under Notices-Announcements. No Suhyun, Director of Food Industry Policy, explained, "To minimize the management burden on dining establishments caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, we will select project candidates early this year and provide proactive support," adding, "We hope for active participation from dining industry workers and local dining organizations to overcome the crisis together."

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