Output of eco-friendly food up in 2009

SEOUL, April 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korean farms harvested nearly 8 percent more
produce raised organically or with little pesticides last year compared with
2008, as consumers increasingly sought out eco-friendly foods, a government
report said Tuesday.
The report by the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said
output totaled 2.36 million tons in 2009, a 7.8 percent increase from 2008, and
equal to 12.2 percent of all farm products raised last year.
About 202,000 hectares of land were used to raise certified organic vegetables,
fruits and grains. The size of farmland represents a gain of 11.6 percent from
the year before, the report said.
It added that there was a 15 percent surge in the number of farms that raised
eco-friendly products, with 199,000 farms across the country engaged in "green"
farming. The amount of food raised without pesticides shot up 60 percent
vis-a-vis 2008 as consumer demand for such produce has risen.
Local farmers have increasingly turned to eco-friendly farming as a way to
increase their profit margins and compete with an influx of cheaper imported
produce.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)

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