Yongin City Signs MOU with Yongin Agricultural Cooperative Rice Consortium to Supply Premium Rice

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Choi Ki-ho] Yongin Special City signed a business agreement with the Yongin Agricultural Cooperative Rice Consortium on the 8th to supply ‘Baekoksal’ rice produced in Yongin to all senior centers in the region starting this month.

The signing ceremony held that morning in the mayor's reception room at City Hall was attended by Yongin Mayor Lee Sang-il, Kang Byung-won, representative of Yongin Agricultural Cooperative Rice Consortium, Park Jong-bok, head of NH Nonghyup Yongin City Branch, Lee Rae-sung, chairman of Baekam Agricultural Cooperative, Oh Tae-hwan, chairman of Wonsam Agricultural Cooperative, and Lee Ho-jae, chairman of Namsa Agricultural Cooperative.

The city entered into this agreement with the aim of providing elderly residents with high-quality rice for healthy meals and helping rice farming households in the region increase their income.

Accordingly, starting this month, approximately 850 senior centers in the region that previously received government grain rice will be supplied with ‘Baekoksal’ rice produced in Yongin.

Rice supplied annually to approximately 850 senior centers amounts to 10,200 bags based on 20kg units, totaling approximately 200 tons, and the increased consumption of Baekoksal rice will generate income growth effects for farming households.

Meanwhile, following the supply of Baekoksal rice to senior centers, the city plans to expand support to supply the rice to welfare facilities and public institution cafeterias within the region as well. The city has allocated a budget of 584.74 million won this year to support grain supply to elderly residents at senior centers. Of this, 227.98 million won is jointly supported through matching by the national government (50%), Gyeonggi Province (15%), and the city (35%), while the remaining 356.76 million won is budgeted by the city itself to provide additional grain support.

Mayor Lee Sang-il stated, “I feel great pride in signing this meaningful agreement to provide Baekoksal rice, a representative agricultural product of Yongin City, for the welfare improvement of elderly residents,” and added, “With the provision of high-quality Baekoksal rice to elderly residents, consumption of Baekoksal rice will also increase, which is expected to be of great benefit to farming households.”

Representative Kang Byung-won said, “Through this agreement, a synergy effect will occur not only in improving elderly welfare but also through regional consumption of Baekoksal rice to increase income of producing farmers,” and added, “We will do our best going forward to produce safe and high-quality Baekoksal rice.”