Gyeongsangbuk-do steps up AI-driven transformation of agricultural produce distribution

【Financial News, Andong = Reporter Kim Jang-wook】 Gyeongsangbuk-do is stepping up efforts to transform agricultural produce distribution using artificial intelligence (AI).
Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Government scored a major win in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ “2027 Smart Agricultural Produce Distribution Center (APC) Support Program” competition, securing 6.9 billion won in state funding—the largest amount among the nation’s provinces and metropolitan cities.
The project has a total budget of 18.9 billion won. It will accelerate the transformation of agricultural produce distribution by introducing AI sorting and robotic automation at APCs in six cities and counties in the province: Gimcheon, Mungyeong, Gyeongsan, Yeongyang, Cheongdo and Seongju.
Park Chan-guk, director of the Agriculture, Livestock and Distribution Bureau, said, “This achievement of securing the largest amount of state funding nationwide is the result of meticulous preparation by the provincial and city and county governments, Nonghyup and producing farmers for a competition tailored to local needs.” He emphasized, “We will quickly establish smart distribution infrastructure based on AI and data, maximize the market competitiveness of agricultural products from Gyeongsangbuk-do, and ensure that we achieve distribution innovation that farmers can see and feel.”
A smart APC is an advanced distribution facility that goes beyond conventional sorting and packaging methods, using AI, big data and robotic automation to assess the quality of agricultural produce uniformly and automate the process of preparing it for sale.
In particular, the province has pursued the modernization of APCs as a key task in its agricultural transformation. With its selection in this competition, it can now accelerate the shift to new distribution infrastructure in major production regions.
The province will use the state funding it secured to convert APCs into smart facilities suited to the characteristics of each region. It plans to support producing farms with stable market access and fair prices, while building a foundation for supplying consumers with high-quality, safe agricultural products.
Meanwhile, agricultural transformation is a key initiative the province is pursuing ambitiously to restore the standing of “Urban-Rural Gyeongbuk.” By raising farm household incomes through joint farming and double cropping, it is establishing itself as a new model for rural development.
It is also an agricultural innovation project that aims to at least double farm household incomes compared with conventional rice farming through farmland consolidation and mechanization.
In particular, this policy, pursued as a key initiative of the eighth popularly elected administration, was introduced to overcome structural limitations of conventional agriculture, including the aging rural population, labor shortages and small-scale farms.

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