Wando-gun Drives Agricultural Development Including Rice Export and Cultivation of Healing Functional Crops

Wando Jayeon Geudaero Mi Exported to 3 Countries, Colored Barley Specialized Complex Established

On July 15th, Wando Natural Rice held the 4th export loading ceremony to Russia. / ⓒ Asia Economy

[Wando＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil] Wando-gun, Jeollanam-do is strengthening agricultural competitiveness by practicing natural farming methods based on Wando’s unique clean natural environment, including uncontaminated soil, dust-free air, clean water, and mineral-rich sea breeze.

According to the county on the 26th, the ‘Wando Jayeon Geudaero Mi (Rice)’, known for its excellent taste, is recognized for its quality not only domestically but also globally. Since receiving Halal certification in 2018 and starting its first export to Malaysia, a total of 82 tons have been exported to the United States and Russia, with plans to export a total of 700 tons by 2025.

This achievement is the result of the hard work of farmers and cooperation among the Agricultural Technology Center, Wando Nonghyup, and the Nonghyup Federation RPC (Rice Processing Complex). In particular, the Nonghyup Federation RPC obtained GAP certification, a safe agricultural product production facility certification, in collaboration with the Agricultural Technology Center, and with administrative support from the county, installed DSC (Drying and Storage Facility for Rice), enabling the supply of high-quality rice to consumers year-round.

The Wando-gun Agricultural Technology Center is expanding the highest quality rice cultivation area to 332 hectares this year and is producing top-quality rice using cultivation methods that leverage Wando’s advantages, such as applying siliceous fertilizer for quality improvement, joint seedling cultivation and pest control, functional nutritional supplements for healing, and seaweed liquid fertilizer.

Additionally, the county has been developing a specialty colored barley cultivation complex since 2019 to discover new income sources and establish a foundation for the marine healing industry through the production of healing functional agricultural products.

The colored barley specialty complex is entirely contract-cultivated annually on about 100 hectares across six towns and townships, including Cheongsan, Nohwa, and Gogeum.

Barley had no stable sales channels after government purchase prices were discontinued due to decreased consumption. However, through the colored barley specialty project, Wando-gun has achieved full contract cultivation and shipment, contributing to a 160% increase in farmers’ income compared to conventional single-cropping farmers, receiving great support from farmers.

This year, based on proposals and requests from the Agricultural Technology Commercialization Foundation, Wando-gun led contract cultivation of the ‘Colored Barley Seed Production Field’ supplied nationwide, operating the seed production field complex for the first time in the county and laying the foundation for the development of the colored barley specialty project.

Furthermore, to make colored barley easily accessible to consumers, products such as ‘Cheongsan Byeolgok’, a colored barley product mixing five types including black, purple, and blue barley, as well as processed products like colored barley coffee and colored barley porridge, have been developed and are currently on sale.

Last year, about 40 tons of colored barley were sold through home shopping, and this year, promotion and sales are planned through home shopping and online malls.

Meanwhile, colored barley is rich in dietary fiber, which helps with dieting and colon cancer prevention. Its soluble dietary fiber lowers blood cholesterol, preventing heart disease, and its calcium and iron content are 8 times and 5 times higher than rice, respectively, making it known as a functional crop.

County Governor Shin Woo-cheol said, “Wando rice is recognized for its quality not only in Korea but also in the United States and Russia, and colored barley, a healing functional crop, is suitable for the marine healing industry. We will continue to discover and promote projects to improve farmers’ income and develop agriculture in the county.”

Wando＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil ckp6737@asiae.co.kr

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