Gumi City Ensures 'Premium' Rice Lives Up to Its Name Through Packaging Inspections

First Packaging Inspection Conducted at Premium Yeonghojinmi Production Complex

Gumi City in North Gyeongsang Province will conduct field inspections on high-quality rice cultivation complexes as part of the 2024 Premium Yeonghojinmi Production Complex Development Pilot Project.

This first round of field inspections will be carried out from July 23 to August 14, covering a total of 208 hectares (100 farming households, 1,001 plots) across the cultivation complexes.

The Premium Yeonghojinmi Production Complex Development Pilot Project focuses on enhancing the stability and quality of rice cultivation by reducing the use of nitrogen fertilizers.

Through this initiative, the city aims to expand the purchase system based on protein content, increase consumer satisfaction by producing high-quality rice, and achieve environmental benefits such as reduced nitrogen fertilizer input and greenhouse gas emissions.

During the field inspections, each plot will be evaluated for weedy rice, weeds, and damage from pests and diseases, and will be graded into four categories: low, medium, high, and severe.

If a plot is graded as 'severe,' it will be disqualified to prevent lower-grade items from being mixed into premium-grade rice in advance.

Kim Younghyuk, Director of the Gumi Agricultural Technology Center, stated, "Through these field inspections, we will systematically manage the premium high-quality rice production complexes and do our best to enhance the image of Gumi rice."