South Jeolla Province announced Sunday that it is operating an "Eco-Friendly Agricultural Products Purchase Brokerage Center" in partnership with the Honam Region Eco-Friendly Agricultural Products Logistics Center to secure stable sales channels and boost distribution for eco-friendly produce farmers.
The brokerage center was established to address two simultaneous challenges: farmers struggling to find sales outlets and distributors unable to secure supplies in a timely manner due to a lack of production information. The center ran a pilot program in 2025, the first of its kind nationwide, brokering sales worth 260 million won ($191,000).
Farmers wishing to use the service must apply to the center at least two months before harvest. The center then matches them with its established distribution network to ensure produce is shipped and sold on time.
Eligible applicants include eco-certified farms without distributor contracts, farms facing supply disruptions due to buyer circumstances, and distributors seeking new purchases after failing to secure contract-farming volumes. The program covers 36 items including fruits and vegetables.
"We hope farmers in sales blind spots will take an active interest in and make use of the brokerage center, which aims to ease their burden and help build a stable income base," said Kim Young-seok, director of the Eco-Friendly Agriculture Division at South Jeolla Province. "We will work to strengthen the competitiveness of eco-friendly agricultural products by diversifying distribution channels."