10kg of South Korea's native rice seeds produces 2,000 tons of rice in Guinea

[Anchor]

The image of rice ears engraved on South Korea's 50-won coin represents Tongil Rice, which helped the country overcome hunger in the past.

It has been two years since the Tongil Rice seeds were distributed in Guinea, Africa, and now a bountiful harvest is underway.

Our correspondent Ahn Da-young reports from Guinea.

[Report]

In a village in West Africa's Guinea,

women are joyfully singing as they harvest rice.

This is the first harvest of South Korea's native Tongil Rice.

While the local rice variety yields only 1 ton per hectare, the Tongil Rice can produce 4 to 5 tons.

[Marcia Yombino/Guinean farmer: "We started cultivating Tongil Rice this year. We have harvested a lot of rice, so we are happy."]

In another village where 25 hectares are cultivated with Tongil Rice,

the residents can not only eat enough rice but also sell the surplus.

[Philip Kamano/Guinean farmer: "Tongil Rice has a better yield than local Guinea rice. It is also sold at a higher price in the market."]

Guinea, Africa, has a temperature of around 30 degrees year-round and receives a lot of rain, creating a favorable environment for Tongil Rice to grow well.

In this village, double cropping is possible with Tongil Rice, and in some areas, triple cropping can be achieved.

In such cases, the yield can increase by more than 10 times compared to farming with the existing Guinea rice.

Like South Korea in the past, Guinea experiences a food crisis every summer, with 35% of the population facing food insecurity.

In response, the World Food Programme started a famine relief project in Guinea two years ago, beginning with 10kg of Tongil Rice seeds.

The number of participating villages has increased from 7 to 150, and rice production has grown from 75 tons to over 2,500 tons.

[Lim Hyung-jun/Head of WFP Guinea Office: "Just 1-2 years ago, many people were suffering from eating only one meal and facing malnutrition, but now many are saying they have escaped from hunger."]

The WFP plans to expand the Tongil Rice project throughout Guinea.

This is Ahn Da-young reporting for KBS News from Kissidougou, Guinea.