Inspection and Grading of 480,000 Tons of Rice Harvested This Year for Public Stockpiling Purchase

Shipment of Non-Purchasable Varieties
Restricted from Public Stockpile Shipments for 5 Years

Public grain storage warehouse for government-secured rice in Ochang-eup, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do. (Image source=Yonhap News)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service announced on the 7th that it will conduct purchase inspections of 2021 public stockpiling rice at more than 4,000 inspection sites nationwide.

The agency will directly purchase and inspect 347,000 tons of bagged rice, which accounts for 71% of this year's public stockpiling rice purchase plan of 486,000 tons (based on milled rice), dried and packaged after harvest, at over 130 offices nationwide.

For 139,000 tons of un-dried paddy rice, private inspectors trained by the agency began inspections on the 16th of last month at 351 locations including nationwide Rice Processing Complexes (RPC) and Drying and Storage Facilities (DSC), according to the harvest schedule.

Farmers wishing to participate in the government’s public stockpiling rice purchase must ship their rice in compliance with inspection standards such as moisture content and packaging materials, as well as the variety.

Farmers shipping bagged rice must dry the Japonica rice produced this year in their paddy fields to a moisture content of 13-15% and ship it in packaging materials of 40 kg (small) and 800 kg (large) standards.

The rice varieties eligible for purchase are limited to two varieties pre-determined by city and county. If varieties not eligible for purchase are shipped and detected, the farmer will be prohibited from shipping public stockpiling rice for the next five years.

The agency conducts quality inspections and assigns grades from special grade to grades 1 through 3. The purchase price of rice is determined according to the grade, and rice falling below the minimum grade is excluded from purchase.

This rice purchase inspection will expand the inspection of large bagged rice (800 kg) considering the COVID-19 situation and convenience for farmers shipping their rice. Inspection schedules will be adjusted by village and farmer to minimize waiting times.

Lee Joo-myung, head of the agency, said, "We plan to carry out the public stockpiling rice purchase inspection while strictly adhering to quarantine rules and maximizing consideration for farmers’ safety and shipping convenience," and added, "Please accurately understand the inspection standards such as moisture content before shipping and confirm that the variety is eligible to avoid any disadvantages."

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