Eco-friendly farm products top 10 pct of output in 2008: report

By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, April 8 (Yonhap) -- Eco-friendly farm products accounted for more than 10
percent of all agricultural output last year as local farmers moved to meet
consumer demands for healthier, safer food, a government report showed Wednesday.

The report by the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said
output of products that used no or little chemical fertilizers and pesticides
shot up 22.5 percent on-year to 2.18 million tons last year from 1.78 million
tons tallied for 2007.
The output accounted for 11.9 percent of total agricultural production in the
cited year, with the number of farms adopting environmentally safe production
methods soaring 31.3 percent to 173,000 households. The numbers represent 14.2
percent of all farms in the country.
"Concerns over substandard products sold on the market and imported from abroad
have caused farmers to adjust to demands for healthier and safer food," a
ministry official said.
Eco-friendly farming includes organic, pesticide free and low pesticide methods
of growing fruits, vegetables and grain that can greatly can reduce residual
levels of harmful chemicals reaching consumers and help environmental
preservation. Because many countries have tightened quarantine inspections on
residual pesticide levels, using fewer chemicals to raise crops can also help
exports.
The report, in addition, said the total size of fields and paddies engaged in
eco-friendly farming practices reached 174 hectares, or 9.9 percent of all
agricultural land in the country, from 123 hectares the year before.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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