Haenam-gun Ttangkkeut Buchu Agricultural Cooperative Wins Grand Prize at World Agricultural and Fisheries Technology Awards

Published 13 Aug.2021 10:13(KST)

Cooperative Farming Sector Leads Quality Improvement of Chive Products with Annual Sales Exceeding 1.8 Billion Won

(Right) O Geum-seok, CEO of Ttangkkeut Buchu Agricultural Cooperative Corporation / ⓒ Asia Economy

[Haenam＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] Ttangkkeut Buchu Agricultural Cooperative Corporation in Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do (CEO Oh Geum-seok) won the grand prize in the cooperative farming category at the 27th World Agriculture and Fisheries Technology Awards.

On the 13th, the World Agriculture Technology Awards, which began in 1995, is the most prestigious award ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Rural Development Administration. It selects outstanding farmers, organizations, institutions, and public officials who have made significant contributions to agricultural development in four fields: technology development, export agriculture, cooperative farming, and institutions and organizations.

The awardees were selected through a rigorous evaluation by a panel of agricultural experts, based on candidates recommended by regional agricultural technology centers and agricultural technology institutes.

The Ttangkkeut Buchu Agricultural Cooperative Corporation, which won the grand prize in the cooperative farming category, was established in 2009 and has 24 members generating annual sales of about 1.8 billion KRW.

They received high praise for creating a stable income base for members through contract farming with large-scale suppliers and establishing a joint shipping system, as well as leading the standardization and quality improvement of Ttangkkeut Buchu through one-on-one mentoring among members and expert consulting.

Oh Geum-seok, CEO of Ttangkkeut Buchu Agricultural Cooperative Corporation, said, “Thanks to the members’ cooperation in establishing a high-quality year-round production system and enhancing product competitiveness, we have been honored with this award. We will continue to work hard to supply safe and clean food from Haenam to consumers.”

Haenam-gun confirmed the status of Haenam agriculture once again by winning the grand prize for two consecutive years, following the Ttangkkeut Hwangto Eco-friendly Agricultural Cooperative Corporation’s grand prize in the export category last year.

Additionally, at this award ceremony, Kim Ji-su, a rural guidance officer at Haenam-gun Agricultural Technology Center, received a special award as a meritorious public official for guidance institutions, recognizing her contributions to high-quality Buchu production guidance and the establishment of main crop cultivation.

Guidance officer Kim Ji-su said, “I will actively support Buchu to become a representative high-income crop of Haenam and will continuously strive to discover and foster new income crops to improve farmers’ income.”