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02. Improving Self-sufficiency in Upland Crops Production
Global food markets are facing a historic surge in the price of grain and a dramatic fall in its stock rates. The international grain shortage is a threat to South Korea's plan of achieving a stable food supply and the general welfare of Korean citizens due to the self-sufficiency of upland crops (27%). There is an urgent need for stable food production and systemic food supply basis to cope with the international food shortage. The needs can be complemented with the development of stable food supply technology for the upland crops. This agenda aims to solve food security problems and to increase the production rate of upland crops to 50%.
The overall goal of this agenda is to develop new soybean varieties, Azuki bean, other legumes, sesame, perilla, peanut, potato, and coarse cereals such as foxtail millet, proso millet, and sorghum. It also aims to produce stable high-quality crops, create cost-saving technologies, and increase the rate of farmland utilization.
Three practical objectives are as follows:
(1) development of cultivars of legume and oil crops and production technology to increase the farmland yield through ¡°Program 26;¡±
(2) development of coarse cereal cultivars and production technology to increase the farmland yield through ¡±Program 27;¡± and the
(3) development of cultivars of potato and buckwheat adaptable to highland area and production technology to increase the farmland yield through ¡±Program 28.¡±
The Department of Functional Crop of the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS) will lead the implementation of the agenda focusing on the development and expansion of upland crop cultivars to the farmer's¡¯ field, development of high-quality and low-cost crop production technology, and responding to changes in crop production and consumption. Universities and colleges, private institutes, companies, farmers and other stakeholders will be tapped into a holistic and proper implementation of the agenda. The agenda is expected to increase farm incomes and add commercial values to upland crops and bring about an import-substitution effect on soybean, sesame, and other upland crops. The total added-value to upland crops can reach up to 500 billion won through the development of functional and name-brand crops. Finally, this program will help jump-start and activate processing industries and increase the upland crop consumption.
