[Provided by North Gyeongsang NH Agricultural Cooperative]
[Provided by North Gyeongsang NH Agricultural Cooperative]

The North Gyeongsang Province chapter of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NH Agricultural Cooperative) said Wednesday it is accepting applications from rice-processed food and traditional liquor manufacturers in North Gyeongsang Province for a product competition, with entries open through Aug. 7.

The competition is tied to the 2026 Woori Ssal Woori Sul K-Rice Festa, a rice industry expo scheduled for Nov. 27-29 at Hall 2 of Exhibition Hall 1 at Kintex in Ilsan.

NH Agri Business Holdings hosts the K-Rice Festa, with support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The cooperative's flagship rice expo aims to discover and nurture outstanding rice-processed foods and traditional Korean liquors while promoting domestic rice consumption.

Applications can be submitted through the event's official website.

Entries will be evaluated by experts, consumers and NH merchandise directors, as well as through on-site assessments. A total of 28 winning products will be selected across seven categories — covering rice-processed foods and traditional liquors — with prize money totaling 245 million won ($160,000).

Kim Ju-won, head of the North Gyeongsang NH Agricultural Cooperative, said the K-Rice Festa, now in its third year, offers "a great opportunity to introduce our region's rice-processed foods and traditional liquors to consumers and distributors nationwide," and urged local businesses to participate actively.


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com