A scene from the Korean Food Fair managed by the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corp.(aT) 

at Times Square, New York from Oct.19-20 to promote the exports of Korean foods to the U.S.

Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corp. (aT) has launched the Farmhouse Famous Brand Village Project in a tieup with Korail to attract tourists to travel on trains to experience the true taste of foods in farm villages in Korea, the company said recently.

The travelers will not only be able to taste foods but they will see the local people preparing the locally produced farm produce such as plum extracts in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province; rice candy made with rice produced in Damyang, South Jeolla Province; and confectionary made with locally grown rice in Uiryong, South Gyeongsang Province, among other places. They will also be able to see the professional makers of such delicacies at their restaurants in those locations, the company said.

They will also enjoy the scenic wonders in the places they visit in addition to the foods.

The state-run farm produce company has also been working on a number of new ventures to link its food produce sales with other areas through expansion and fusion. In the area of food, aT used a tieup with Korail to expand into railroad travel and its tourist products to segregate its tourism in fusion with farm foods. In August, the company, in cooperation with Korail, opened a market for farm, livestock, and fishery products, along with a package for tourists from such far-away places as Mokpo, Busan, and other cities to travel on the KTX trains bound for Seoul to visit a number of major tourist attractions in Seoul.

aT has also worked out a plan to export fresh farm produce overseas in cooperation with Korean Air and Incheon International Airport by lowering logistics expenses.

Air carriers shipped 530,000 tons of goods on their flights out of Korea last year, but farm produce only accounted for 4,000 tons. The company made a special deal with Korean Air to get discount flight fees for strawberries in October and the fresh fruit carried on air flights rose to 13 tons from a mere 400 kg in just one year. aT has also been busy exploring new markets for farm produce. The company was able to open two large food stands at a U.S. military base in Colorado in September 2012 so that soldiers could taste Korean traditional foods as part of the company’s bid to supply Korean foods to U.S. military and diversify Korean food exports abroad.

aT also staged the Korean Food Fair in Times Square, New York, to open the way for exports of Korean food to the U.S. by having passers-by taste Korean foods in an effort to expand exports to the United States on Oct.19-20, which was a great success.

President Kim Jae-soo of aT.(photos:  aT)

Innovative improvement is required in complicated distribution stages and recurring distribution cost structure. 

aT has established a foundation for the development of the Korean food industry through support for food companies, systematization of food industry information, and the nurturing of professional workforce.

The world grain market experienced a decrease in supply caused by climate change and increase in demands caused by development of bio alternative energy. aT will do everything possible to ensure a stable grain supply to secure the domestic staple food. 

aT will continue to do its best to grow as a public organization loved and trusted by all stakeholders and to create values for the nation and people.