Producers, processors and government sign cooperation MOU
Contract farming expansion, new products to drive consumption
![Vice Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Kim Jong-gu (front row, sixth from right) poses with representatives of soybean producer groups and food processors at a mutual-cooperation MOU signing ceremony held Monday at Government Complex Sejong. [Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/11/02/news-p.v1.20261102.480c5d2b70df4adf9671807c9a2c1b20_P1.jpeg)
As domestic soybean production continues to grow without a matching rise in consumption, producers and food processors have agreed to step up purchases of locally grown soybeans. Producers will supply beans meeting the quality and volume requirements of the food industry, while processors will expand contract farming and direct purchases from production areas to broaden the consumption base for domestic soybeans.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs signed a mutual-cooperation MOU Monday with soybean producer groups and processors in the edible soybean and soybean sprout industries at Government Complex Sejong, aimed at expanding domestic soybean consumption and stabilizing supply and demand.
The agreement comes as domestic soybean production has continued to grow while consumption has failed to keep pace. Food industry players have also raised the need for a stable raw-material supply, prompting efforts to build a supply-and-demand management framework linking production with consumption.
Under the MOU, producer groups will grow and supply domestic soybeans to meet the quality standards, specifications and volumes processors require. Processors have committed to expanding their purchase and use of domestic soybeans through contract farming and direct buying from production areas. The government will support efforts to broaden the consumption base and ensure stable supply-and-demand management.
The parties will also cooperate on developing new products using domestic soybeans, identifying new markets and running joint promotional campaigns. To that end, they established a "soybean supply-and-demand management consultative body" bringing together the government, producer groups and processors. The body will share updates on domestic soybean supply-and-demand conditions and hold ongoing discussions on expanding consumption and stabilizing raw-material supply.
The signing ceremony was attended by Vice Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Kim Jong-gu, along with representatives of producer groups — including the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation Legume Council, the Korea Farmers' Field Management Association, the National Soybean Producers Federation and the Jeju Soybean Council — and processing industry groups such as the Korea Soft Food Cooperative Federation, the Korea Food Industry Association and the Korea Soybean Sprout Farmers Association.
"Going forward, it is important that we work together to build a consumption base so that the soybeans we produce can be consumed stably and fetch fair prices in the market," Kim said. "Producers will stably supply high-quality soybeans that meet market demand, processors will expand their purchase and use of domestic soybeans, and the government will support the expansion of domestic soybean consumption and stable raw-material supply — so that we can build a mutually beneficial supply-and-demand system in which producers and processors grow together."
adastra@heraldcorp.com
