(Jeonju=Yonhap News) Reporter Jeong Gyeong-jae = The Rural Development Administration announced on the 3rd that it will export silkworm powder, recognized as a functional labeled food, to Japan. This export is the result of a joint effort by the Rural Development Administration, the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, and the Korea Sericultural Association, which has worked to advance the domestic silk industry. The Rural Development Administration has been conducting research to convert sericulture into a high-value-added industry since it scientifically proved the blood sugar lowering effect of silkworm powder in 1995. Meanwhile, the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, centered on its Japanese branch, has been seeking to expand the recognition and export of domestic agricultural products as functional labeled foods, and the Korea Sericultural Association has participated in the Corporation's export support project to meet local requirements in Japan. As a result of the efforts of the three organizations, silkworm powder was recognized in Japan last year for its efficacy in "inhibiting postprandial blood sugar rise" and was registered as a functional labeled food. Based on this, a Japanese pharmaceutical company decided to import and distribute functional foods utilizing domestic silkworm powder. The first shipment (6,700 boxes) that left on the 2nd is expected to arrive in Japan on the 6th. Kim Nam-jeong, Director of the Agricultural Biology Department at the Rural Development Administration, said, "This export is the result of the research achievements of national research institutions, the export support of public enterprises, and the implementation by producer organizations" and "We will achieve a leap forward in the insect industry by strengthening public-private cooperation in the future." jaya@yna.co.kr