First harvest of purple European plum 'Prun' in Jeju

(Jeju=Yonhap News) Reporter Go Seong-sik = "Prune," known as the Western plum, is harvested for the first time in Jeju.

The Jeju Agricultural Technology Institute's Western Agricultural Technology Center announced on the 11th that prunes cultivated on 3.3 hectares of farmland in 10 households in Hallim-eup, Jeju City, will be harvested and sold this autumn.

The prune varieties currently being cultivated are 'President,' 'Black King,' and 'Big Purple,' totaling three kinds. The deep purple fruit weighs approximately 100 grams and has an average sugar content of 16 Brix, characterized by its soft texture and high sugar content. It has obtained the agricultural product excellent management (GAP) certification to ensure stability.

The prunes being harvested this time were produced in a cultivation area established through the "Hallim Agricultural Cooperative Elite Income Crop Complex Project" from 2022.

Prunes are known to be effective in improving bowel movements and are rich in vitamin K, which is also beneficial for bone health.

The Western Agricultural Technology Center in Jeju has been supporting facilities suitable for facility cultivation in 2023 and conducting on-site guidance to ensure stable fruit setting and improve quality.

The Western Agricultural Technology Center plans to strengthen on-site guidance for farmers to establish prunes as a new income fruit in the Jeju region and to supplement cultivation techniques to address poor coloration and physiological disorders caused by high temperatures.