Accelerating Development of Region-Specific Rice Varieties... Enhancing Rice Competitiveness in Damyang County

Promotion of Regional Customized Rice Research with the National Institute of Crop Science since 2016

[Damyang=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Chunsu] On the 2nd, Damyang-gun, Jeollanam-do announced that it is promoting the development of new rice varieties suitable for local soil to ensure stable food production and create a top-quality rice brand.

To this end, since 2016, the county has signed a business agreement with the National Institute of Crop Science under the Rural Development Administration and has been conducting research to develop customized rice varieties suitable for the Damyang region environment. This year, by extending the business agreement, it is accelerating efforts to enhance rice competitiveness.

Every year, comprehensive evaluations of breeding varieties’ appearance, physicochemical components, and taste are conducted to select and cultivate the best single lines. As a result, Damyang No.1 was selected in 2018, Damyang No.2 in 2019, and Damyang No.3 in 2020.

Currently, participating in the Rural Development Administration’s rice variety development program, regional adaptation tests are being conducted in four areas (Damyang, Naju, Jeonju, Iksan).

This year, the variety name for Damyang No.1, which is in the third year of regional adaptation testing, will be solicited and a variety protection application will be pursued.

After registration, the county plans to promote the establishment of cultivation complexes for premium, region-customized rice production by 2023 through independent seed multiplication.

Additionally, based on the results of on-farm demonstration tests being conducted in Mujeong-myeon and Subuk-myeon, efforts are focused on building a foundation to enable rapid seed multiplication.

Lee Cheol-gyu, director of the Agricultural Technology Center, said, “By developing customized new rice varieties and fostering differentiated premium products, we can contribute not only to revitalizing the local rice industry but also to securing food sovereignty in the post-COVID era.”

Meanwhile, Damyang-gun’s ‘Daesup Malgeun Damyang Rice’ has once again proven its ability to produce high-quality branded rice by winning the grand prize for two consecutive years in this year’s top 10 high-quality brand rice evaluation in Jeollanam-do.

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