Cheongju Mountain Red Pears officially begin shipment..."Expected shipment volume 1 ton"

(Cheongju=Yonhap News) Reporter Cheon Gyeong-hwan = The Cheongju Agricultural Technology Center announced on the 20th that it has started shipping Red Hyang, a subtropical fruit cultivated as a new income crop in response to climate change. Red Hyang is a type of persimmon that is larger and redder than regular citrus fruits, with rich juice and a high consumer preference due to its sourness and high sugar content. The main production area is Jeju Island, but recently, due to climate change and advancements in facility cultivation technology, the cultivation scale has been expanding in inland areas as well. The Agricultural Technology Center has been promoting a Red Hyang cultivation pilot project since 2022. Participating model farms received 100 million won in support to cultivate 190 Red Hyang trees in a facility house of approximately 300 pyeong, and succeeded in their first harvest this year. The expected shipment volume is about 1 ton. An official from the Agricultural Technology Center said, "We will continue to discover new income crops suitable for local conditions and strive to increase agricultural competitiveness." Since 2019, the Agricultural Technology Center has supported the production of subtropical crops such as figs, lemons, papayas, and apple mangoes, and currently, these crops are being cultivated by 14 farms.