Icheon and Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province Begin Cultivation of Rice for Processing

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Icheon and Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province have begun cultivating rice specifically for processing, which is used in products such as distilled spirits. This initiative is expected to boost farm income and help manage the supply and demand of rice.

Reporter Yu Yeong-su has the story.

[Reporter]

This is a cultivation complex for processing-grade rice established in Bubal-eup, Icheon, Gyeonggi Province.

On a 3-hectare plot of land, farmers have planted 'Juhyangmi,' a rice variety developed by the National Institute of Crop Science specifically for processing purposes.

'Juhyangmi' is known for its excellent aromatic properties, making it ideal for producing distilled spirits, and it is also reported to have a higher yield than conventional rice varieties.

[Jeong Hyeon-ha / Farmer cultivating 'Juhyangmi' rice: It has a 20% higher yield effect compared to what we usually grow. That means there is an increase in income. Since this is our first year, we decided to give it a try, which is how we got started.]

Yeoju has also established a 1-hectare cultivation complex for processing-grade rice this year.

Farmers have planted 'Hwayeon,' another processing-grade rice variety developed by the National Institute of Crop Science, and they expect to harvest approximately 7 tons of rice.

[Han Yun-seok / Farmer cultivating 'Hwayeon' rice: They say it has a very good aroma and is great for making alcohol. Since I am growing rice for processing, I don't have to worry about finding buyers for the harvest.]

Icheon and Yeoju expect this initiative to increase farm income, secure stable sales channels for rice, and enhance the brand value of their local rice.

[Kim Dong-ho / Director of Icheon Agricultural Technology Center: We have mainly produced rice for table consumption, but now, to improve the income of our farmers, we need to develop rice for processing as well.]

Both local governments stated that they plan to continue expanding the scale of their cultivation complexes for processing-grade rice in the future.

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The Toechon Tomato Festival in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, a representative agricultural festival in the Seoul metropolitan area, was held last week.

Marking its 24th anniversary this year, the festival featured a variety of participatory and hands-on programs.

(Video by In Pil-seong)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.