Gurye Youngbae Agricultural Cooperative Wins 'Best Quality Agricultural Products Production Complex' Award

Published 24 Nov.2023 11:14(KST)

New Varieties 'Joyskin, Changjo' Recognized for Excellent Production and Shipment

Gurye-gun, Jeollanam-do announced that won the prestigious Grand Prize (Prime Minister's Award) in the 『2023 Best Quality Agricultural Products Production Complex』 competition hosted by the Rural Development Administration.

Gurye Youngbae Agricultural Cooperative Corporation, composed of nine young farmers with an average age of 52, cultivates new domestic pear varieties (Joyskin, Changjo, etc.) on 7.8 hectares out of a total cultivation area of 15.5 hectares.

[Photo by Gurye-gun]

With technical support from the Gurye-gun Agricultural Technology Center, Gurye Youngbae Agricultural Cooperative Corporation has been introducing and cultivating new varieties since 2020. These new varieties boast excellent quality, with about 80% of the pears produced rated as ‘Special’ grade.

To produce high-quality pears, the cooperative scientifically diagnoses soil nutrient status and adheres to appropriate fertilizer usage. They continuously enhance their technical capabilities through high-quality cultivation training and expert consulting provided by the Gurye-gun Agricultural Technology Center.

In particular, they have developed their own brand “Cheongnaetgol Matbae,” reflecting the local character, and are expanding sales channels by diversifying packaging designs according to shipping destinations. They are also actively applying new technologies to improve productivity and reduce labor.

Furthermore, they plan to steadily increase the cultivation area of high-quality domestic new pear varieties.

Park Geun-gyu, head of the Gurye-gun Agricultural Technology Center, said, “We commend the passion and excellent achievements of Gurye Youngbae Agricultural Cooperative Corporation, and we will do our best to expand the introduction of outstanding domestic varieties that meet consumer trends to improve farmers’ incomes.”

Meanwhile, the Rural Development Administration annually selects and awards the Best Quality Agricultural Products Production Complexes that cultivate new domestic varieties and promote the excellence of our varieties through domestic and international market development.

This year, over 20 sites nationwide applied. After the first selection by each province, the Rural Development Administration conducted the second document screening and the third presentation evaluation, finally selecting one grand prize winner, three excellence awardees, and five merit awardees.