The Hwacheon County in Gangwon Province plans to significantly increase the shipment of local agricultural products to the Guri Agricultural and Fishery Wholesale Market starting next year. The strategy aims to enhance quality competitiveness through joint selection and mayor certification while directly connecting the wholesale market with other local governments to expand sales channels.
According to Hwacheon County, 1,226 tons of agricultural products from Hwacheon were shipped to the Guri Agricultural and Fishery Wholesale Market last year, with zucchini accounting for 82.2% of the total shipments.
The Guri Agricultural and Fishery Wholesale Market is a major wholesale market in the metropolitan area, handling between 350,000 and 400,000 tons of agricultural products annually.
On September 3, Hwacheon County Mayor Kim Se-hoon, along with officials from the county's agricultural technology center and the Gandan Agricultural Cooperative, visited the Guri Agricultural and Fishery Corporation to discuss ways to enhance friendship and cooperation between the two municipalities.
During the meeting, Mayor Kim announced plans to strengthen joint selection and introduce a mayor certification system to ensure the quality of Hwacheon agricultural products.
He expressed his commitment to significantly increase the shipment volume to the Guri Wholesale Market in collaboration with local agricultural cooperatives and farmer organizations.
Representatives from the wholesale corporation positively assessed the market competitiveness of Hwacheon agricultural products.
A representative stated, "As Hwacheon zucchini receives favorable reviews from consumers, strengthening brand promotion will also be advantageous for increasing auction prices."
The Guri City officials proposed establishing a communication channel involving the wholesale corporation, Guri City, and Hwacheon County to facilitate continuous information exchange, thereby enhancing distribution competitiveness.
Mayor Kim remarked, "If you provide us with ways to increase farm gate prices through selection or packaging, we will actively incorporate them."
This visit is seen as a step to diversify sales channels in line with the goals set by the 9th elected term of Hwacheon County to sell all agricultural products.
Notably, the focus is not only on increasing production but also on enhancing product quality through joint selection, certification, and packaging improvements, aiming for direct connections to large wholesale markets.
Before visiting the wholesale market, Mayor Kim also met with Guri Mayor Shin Dong-hwa to discuss ways to expand exchanges and cooperation between the two municipalities.
Mayor Shin announced, "We will set up a promotional booth for Hwacheon agricultural products at the upcoming Guri Cosmos Festival." This will provide Hwacheon County with an opportunity to promote its agricultural products to Guri residents.
The collaboration between the two municipalities is expected to extend beyond agricultural sales into the tourism sector.
Mayor Kim stated, "We will offer various benefits to Guri residents and members of park golf organizations who visit tourist sites or park golf courses in Hwacheon, and we will continue to deepen our cooperation and communication."
This visit by Hwacheon County to Guri is noteworthy as it seeks to expand agricultural sales channels beyond the local area to include metropolitan wholesale markets and other municipalities.
If joint selection and quality certification lead to increased shipment volumes and higher farm gate prices, it will serve as a key indicator of the success of Hwacheon County's agricultural sales policies.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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