Lee Jae-myung: "Support Healthy Dining Tables with Eco-Friendly Agricultural Products and Protection of School Meal Systems"

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun Reporter] Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung has stepped forward to support farmers struggling due to COVID-19.

Governor Lee posted on his SNS on the 26th: "Your 'ethical consumption' protects eco-friendly farms."

Through this, Governor Lee explained, "Gyeonggi Province operates the finest school meal supply system in Korea through its eco-friendly school meal support project," and "However, due to online classes conducted last semester, the amount of agricultural products we had to discard was enormous. Potatoes and onions planned for use in second semester meals are also at risk of being discarded."

He further appealed, "The efforts we have made for high-quality school meals are facing a crisis of collapse. The damage from this inevitably falls on farming families and our children. Accordingly, Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Agricultural and Food Distribution Promotion Agency will begin sales of eco-friendly school meal agricultural products. We ask for your interest and participation."

The following is the full text of Lee Jae-myung's SNS post.

<Your 'ethical consumption' protects eco-friendly farms!>

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with student attendance in emergency status, eco-friendly farms in the province that supplied school meal ingredients are once again facing hardship.

Through the eco-friendly school meal support project, Gyeonggi Province has consistently worked to ensure healthy food for students and stable income for farmers. Since 2018, we have expanded eco-friendly farming operations and increased contract farming by crop type. We are proud to say we operate the finest school meal supply system in Korea.

However, due to online classes conducted last semester, the amount of agricultural products discarded without proper use due to exceeded storage periods is enormous. Potatoes and onions were completely discarded, and only mixed grains remain in storage facilities. Moreover, 2,192 tons of potatoes and 2,168 tons of onions planned for use in second semester meals are also at risk of being discarded.

The efforts that the province, schools, and farms have made together for high-quality school meals face a crisis of collapse. It is all the more lamentable that the damage from this inevitably falls on farming families and our children.

Typically, crops are grown over one year, but eco-friendly agricultural products require five years of preparation. Farmers face considerable difficulties not only because agricultural products they have grown through long hours of toil cannot be used, but also because crops available for harvest are insufficient due to weather anomalies such as unusually long rainy seasons and extreme heat.

Accordingly, Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Agricultural and Food Distribution Promotion Agency will begin sales of eco-friendly school meal agricultural products. Why not prepare healthy dining tables with eco-friendly agricultural products and participate in protecting our eco-friendly meal system and farming families? We appreciate your interest and participation ^^