청년 농업인이 희망 아이디어와 열정이 무기 As the rural population declines and ages in South Korea, young farmers are overcoming the country's rural labor shortage with creative ideas. Jeong Eun-joo has the details. The South Korean countryside, facing a labor shortage, has lately been attracting more young people who take up farming and use local agricultural products to make processed foods. In this greenhouse, workers sort, wash, steam and compress sesame seeds. The sesame oil and perilla oil that comes from the compressor is special because it's produced in the traditional way, which uses minimal heat and pressure, unlike conventional methods that roast the seeds over a strong fire. Cosmetics, bread and noodles made of sesame and perilla seeds are also popular. "We're developing a variety of products with well-chosen domestic sesame seeds that young people will want to eat, too." Another factory uses green rice as its main ingredient for rice porridge. Gangwha-do Island is known for harvesting rice before it's ripe when it's green. Green rice is rich in nutrients such as vitamin C and beta-glucan, and is easy to digest. This factory differentiated itself from large companies and found success by producing 50 types of porridge using green rice. "We distribute certified organic processed food as a differentiating strategy, because large corporations can't do that. We got an organic food certification in August, and are now producing organic porridge." There are currently about 15-thousand young farmers nationwide. The government plans to increase this to 30-thousand by 2027, and provide them with customized support. "We will support passionate and creative young farmers by expanding sales channels and distributing new varieties so they can become competitive and develop stably." Young farmers with fresh ideas and passion are expected to become the future of South Korea's agricultural development. Jeong Eun-joo, Arirang News. #young_farmer #agriculture #Arirang_News 📣 Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/arirangtvnews 📣 Twitter : https://twitter.com/arirangtvnews 📣 Homepage : https://v2.arirang.com/ 2023-02-03, 12:00 (KST)