Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City to Hold First ‘Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Export Tower’ Awards Since Merger

【Financial News, Jeonnam-Gwangju = Hwang Tae-jong, staff reporter】Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City (Gwangju Metropolitan City) is moving ahead with the first ‘Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Export Tower’ awards since the Jeonnam-Gwangju administrative merger, encouraging local exporters to enter overseas markets and expand exports.
 Kim Gi-suk, head of Gwangju Metropolitan City’s Policy Planning Bureau, stressed, “These Export Tower awards will recognize and encourage the efforts and achievements of agricultural, forestry, livestock, fisheries and food exporters in the Jeonnam-Gwangju region since the administrative merger, and will provide an opportunity to enhance export competitiveness.” 
 On the 22nd, Gwangju Metropolitan City said that exports of agricultural, forestry, livestock, fisheries and food products from the Jeonnam-Gwangju region have been growing steadily. Export value rose from about $672.99 million in 2022 to about $1.08531 billion in 2025, growing by more than 60% in three years and increasing year on year for three consecutive years.
 To sustain this growth, Gwangju Metropolitan City plans to identify and recognize outstanding companies that have contributed to expanding exports, promote exports of the region’s agricultural, forestry, livestock, fisheries and food products, and support overseas market entry in various ways.  In particular, this year, in line with the Jeonnam-Gwangju administrative merger, the city plans to expand eligibility for the ‘Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Export Tower’ awards, first introduced in 2024, to companies throughout the entire Jeonnam-Gwangju region. It plans to select around 20 companies in total, including about 17 top-performing exporters and about three companies in the Export Leap category. 
  Policy Planning Bureau Chief Kim Gi-suk stressed, “I will continue to support the growth of outstanding exporters and provide a springboard for companies just starting to export, so that more businesses can reach overseas markets.”
 Gwangju Metropolitan City has also substantially eased the selection criteria this year so that more businesses and farming and fishing households can compete for the Export Tower awards.
 First, the city created an ‘Export Leap’ category for businesses new to agricultural and food exports. It plans to select around three recipients from among companies and producer farms that began exporting after October 1, 2025, based on their efforts to expand exports, growth potential and contribution to the industry.
 The city also expanded the range of export performance eligible for recognition to include amounts of up to $10,000, allowing more small businesses to compete based on their results. It significantly lowered the barrier to entry by reducing the year-on-year export growth threshold from at least 10% to at least 3%.
 Export performance recognized for this year’s Export Tower awards will be based on direct and indirect exports from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026.
 Applications will be accepted from the upcoming 22nd through 6 p.m. on November 5.
 Businesses wishing to participate can apply through the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City Export e-Eum website. Application documents and detailed selection criteria are available on the website.
 Gwangju Metropolitan City plans to hold the awards ceremony at the ‘Jeonnam-Gwangju Agricultural and Fisheries Food Export Promotion Rally,’ scheduled to take place in late November.

[email protected] Hwang Tae-jong Reporter