(Gimje=Yonhap News) Reporter Baek Do-in = Jeonbuk Gimje City announced on the 15th that it will create a "self-sufficient integrated complex for soybeans" that will handle the production, processing, and distribution of rice beans.
Supported by a total of 2 billion won, including 1 billion won in government funds selected for the Rural Development Administration's bidding project, it will be pushed through until next year.
The city will establish a pilot complex to develop varieties suitable for mechanization and processing, and facilities to create various processed foods using rice beans.
A system to commercialize and distribute the developed processed foods will also be built.
This year's cultivation area for rice beans, the largest producer in Gimje, reaches 7,200 hectares.
Mayor Jeong Seong-ju said, "This will be an important opportunity to raise the competitiveness of our local rice bean industry," and "We will push the project smoothly to activate consumption and increase farmers' income."