Gwangyang 추진 for Establishment of 'Nongsanmul Pumjil Gwalliwon'

Launching a Nationwide Citizen Signature Campaign

Contributing to Alleviating Farmers' Inconvenience in Newly Established Areas

Gwangyang City in Jeollanam-do announced that it has launched a “citywide signature campaign” to establish the Gwangyang Office of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service (NAQS) in order to alleviate the inconveniences faced by elderly local farmers and support stable income for agricultural workers.

The NAQS Gwangyang Office, established in 1949, was merged with the Suncheon Office in 1998. Since 2021, a branch office has been operating in Gwangyang City, but the dual handling of civil affairs between the main office and the branch has revealed limitations in administrative processing.

[Photo provided by Gwangyang-si]

Gwangyang is an industrial city where 10% of its 150,000 population engage in agriculture. Among the 22 cities and counties in Jeollanam-do, it ranks 9th in the number of farmers and 11th in the number of agricultural management entities. Despite this, the absence of a NAQS office makes it difficult to respond promptly to changing agricultural policies such as excellent agricultural product management, strengthened pesticide residue standards, and certification for pesticide-free and organic farming, which are key government agricultural initiatives.

Currently, counties such as Wando, Jindo, and Jangseong, which have relatively fewer farms and farmers than Gwangyang, have recently established separate offices. Within Jeollanam-do, there are only three integrated offices operating, including Gwangyang.

Accordingly, starting from the 20th of this month, the city is conducting an online and face-to-face signature campaign targeting 15,000 participants. ▲Online signatures can be submitted via the Gwangyang City Hall website, and ▲face-to-face signatures can be made by visiting the town and township offices or the Nonghyup (National Agricultural Cooperative Federation).

Going forward, the city plans to encourage voluntary participation from agricultural organizations within the region, including the Korean Next-Generation Farmers Association Gwangyang Chapter, Korean Women Farmers Association Gwangyang Chapter, Korean Leaders Association Gwangyang Chapter, Korean Life Improvement Association Gwangyang Chapter, Gwangyang Returning Farmers and Fishermen Association, Gwangyang Eco-Friendly Agriculture Association, and Gwangyang Farmers’ Association.

Song Myeong-jong, Director of Agricultural Policy, stated, “We are promoting various agricultural policies such as 100% eco-friendly certification for Gwangyang’s representative specialties, plums and chestnuts, GAP implementation, increased school meals and local food supply, and providing safe food. However, the Gwangyang branch office alone has not been able to meet the complex demands of agricultural administration.” He added, “Although establishing a NAQS office may not be easy under the small government policy, we will logically emphasize the necessity and ensure the establishment of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service Gwangyang Office.”

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