Gochang Melon, Peanuts, and Mini Watermelon Win Consumer-Selected Quality Satisfaction Award

Published 11 Jul.2024 14:23(KST)

Melons, peanuts, and mini watermelons from Gochang-gun won the Grand Prize in the regional agricultural products category at the ‘2024 Consumer-Selected Quality Satisfaction Awards’ ceremony held on the 11th at the Koreana Hotel in Seoul.

The ‘Consumer-Selected Quality Satisfaction Awards’ are given to the best products that have earned trust and love by leading continuous quality development and providing high-quality services for customer satisfaction from the consumer’s perspective.

Gochang-gun's melons, peanuts, and mini watermelons won the Grand Prize in the regional agricultural products category at the "Consumer-Selected Quality Satisfaction Awards" on the 11th.
[Photo by Gochang-gun]

Gochang melons and peanuts have built a golden record by winning for 8 consecutive years and 7 consecutive years respectively, while Gochang mini watermelons won for the first time nationwide, elevating the value of Gochang agricultural products, which boast the highest quality.

The county selected mini watermelons as a high-income crop to succeed the long-renowned watermelons and has been promoting various pilot projects and education since 2017.

In 2022, six crop groups in Gochang-gun united to form the Gochang Mini Watermelon Association, which now accounts for 15% of the national cultivation area as of this year, boasting the largest scale in the country.

Additionally, the county is promoting various soil improvement projects to foster melons as a top specialty product and is conducting education based on the cultivation capacity of the highest quality melons.

They have established their position not only domestically but also overseas, winning the 2022 Best Agricultural Product Production Complex Award (Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Award), the 2023 Excellence Award at the Export Agriculture Best Practices Competition hosted by the Rural Development Administration, and exporting to Singapore and Hong Kong.

As a major peanut producing area, the cultivation area has increased to 400 hectares recently due to the rising recognition of peanuts’ nutritional value and functionality, accounting for about 73% of Jeonbuk’s cultivation area, leading the domestic peanut market with its savory taste and vivid skin color.

County Governor Shim Deok-seop said, “We will strive to gain more consumer trust in Gochang melons and peanuts, which are filled with the sweat, dedication, and effort of farmers,” and added, “We will continue efforts to brand mini watermelons, which were selected nationwide for the first time this year, to enhance their reputation as a major production area.”