Mayor Kang Jin-woo, Leaping Forward as a National Calf Supply Hub

County Governor Kang Jin-won Presents Blueprint for Korean Beef Industry

[Gangjin=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Yong-su] On the 29th, ahead of Chuseok, Gangjinwon, the governor of Gangjin-gun, Jeollanam-do, visited the ‘Hanwoo Electronic Auction Market’ to encourage the shipping farms and had a communication session with executives of related organizations such as the Livestock Cooperative and Hanwoo Association regarding current issues in the Hanwoo market.

Governor Gangjinwon personally greeted the Hanwoo breeding farms participating in the shipment and the workers at the cattle market, and listened for a long time to the Hanwoo prices and the difficulties faced by the farms.

The governor emphasized, “Focusing all efforts on improving Hanwoo quality to enhance the ‘appearance rate of grade 1 or higher’ and ‘reduce production costs’ is the way to strengthen farm competitiveness and overcome crises such as rising feed prices.”

Additionally, Gangjin-gun announced plans to prioritize the four core areas of the Hanwoo industry for the 8th term of the civil election ‘Gangjin Hanwoo Premium Top Brand Development’: △ customized Hanwoo improvement, △ production cost reduction, △ premiumization of Gangjin Hanwoo, and △ activation of direct transactions.

To this end, step-by-step goals were presented: ▲ improving the average grade rate (75% or higher for grade 1), ▲ reducing average production costs (by 20% or more), ▲ premiumizing Gangjin Good Hanwoo and two-track development of calf branding, and ▲ activating online direct sales. The governor urged active participation from livestock farmers to enhance the competitiveness of Gangjin Hanwoo.

Hwang In-jun, Director of the Environment and Livestock Division, stated, “In preparation for crises such as rising feed prices and price drops due to increased livestock numbers, we plan to improve grade rates through the operation of the Gangjin Hanwoo Improvement Integrated Council and to do our best by regularly communicating with related organizations such as the Hanwoo Association to discover and promote new projects.”

Meanwhile, the scale of Hanwoo breeding in Gangjin-gun is 1,197 farms and 40,000 heads, a 33% increase compared to six years ago. On this day, a total of 269 heads were traded at the Gangjin cattle market, including 25 female calves, 104 male calves, 16 pregnant cows, and 124 beef cattle, all successfully traded. Every year, more than 15,000 heads are traded at the Gangjin cattle market, with over 6,000 calves auctioned, making it the largest scale in Jeollanam-do.

Currently, Gangjin-gun is reviewing a plan to support the increased feed costs jointly with the Gangjin-Wando Livestock Cooperative to solve the biggest burden on livestock farms, feed costs. Ahead of other cities and counties, it operates separate ‘calf brand auction markets and pedigree cattle auction markets’ twice a month, emerging as the mecca of nationwide calf supply bases where more than 1,000 high-quality calves are traded annually.

Gangjin=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Yong-su gabrielw@asiae.co.kr

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