JEONNAM-GWANGJU — Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City will hold its first awards ceremony for agriculture, forestry, livestock and fisheries food exports since its administrative merger, selecting about 20 companies, including 17 top exporters and three emerging exporters. Applications are open until Nov. 5.
The city added a new "export leap" category this year to draw broader participation from new exporters and farming households. Companies and farms that began exporting after Oct. 1 last year will be assessed on growth potential and efforts to expand overseas sales.
To encourage participation by smaller businesses, the city broadened the range of recognized export performance to include amounts as low as $10,000 and lowered the required export growth rate to 3% from 10%. The ceremony will take place at the Jeonnam-Gwangju Agrifood Export Rally in late November.