LISTING GARLIC AS AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE

[Anchor Lead]

A small island called Gaeuido in waters off of Taean, Chungcheongnam-do Province is also known as the garlic island, for it is the origin of Korea’s indigenous six-clove garlic. The island bans the import of other garlic varieties in order to preserve its own. A plan is now underway to list the island’s six-clove garlic as an important agricultural heritage.

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Thirty minutes by boat from Taean, Chungcheongnam-do Province. The small island of Gaeuido shows up on the horizon. It’s spring begins on the garlic fields. Green garlic shoots sprout up all over the island. Garlic grows on all 43,000 square meters of the island’s arable land, carved out of mountain slopes. No surprise that the island is nicknamed the garlic island. The six-clove garlic of Gaeuido Island is considered the best variety as the island’s remoteness renders the crop pest and disease-free and the strong ocean winds make the garlic quite resilient.

[Soundbite] Koh Sang-gap(Gaeuido Island Village Chief) : "Gaeuido Island garlic is free from pests and diseases. That’s why our garlic is rated the best."

Some twenty farms, about half the total households on the island, produce roughly 15 tons of garlic every year. Since they produce such a small amount, the garlic is not sold as food, but only for propagation. In order to preserve the six-clove garlic variety, the island strictly prohibits the import of other varieties.

[Soundbite] Yang Su-jun(Agricultural Affairs Division, Taean-gun County Gov’t) : "Outside garlic cannot be brought in here and even if they did, they cannot grow here. Only the indigenous garlic are grown here and exported."

The Taean-gun county government plans to conduct a systematic study on the island’s unique garlic farming technique and have the six-clove variety designated as an important national agricultural heritage.