The Chungnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services announced on the 1st that it has conducted a survey on the generation and treatment status of agricultural by-products targeting agri-food processing companies within the province, securing foundational data for recycling and utilization as industrial raw materials.

This survey was promoted to understand the scale and treatment status of by-products generated during agricultural product manufacturing and processing, analyze the generation period, major processing stages, and collection/storage conditions for each item, and thereby establish a foundation for future use as food and industrial raw materials.

This year, the Provincial Agricultural Research and Extension Services surveyed 49 processing companies dealing with 7 items: Chinese cabbage, radishes, apples, pears, rice, onions, and soybeans, examining the volume of by-product generation and treatment methods.

According to the survey results, the timing of by-product generation varied by item. Chinese cabbage showed a relatively high generation of by-products from October to December, rice in September, and pears in November, while radishes were generated relatively consistently throughout the year.

The primary processing stages where by-products occurred also differed by item. It was found that 96.9% of by-products for radishes occurred during the cutting, trimming, and shredding processes, 90.4% for pears during the juicing process, and 100% for rice during the milling process.

As for major difficulties in the storage and distribution process of by-products, a lack of storage facilities was the most common response with 36 cases, followed by the burden of waste disposal costs (35 cases) and logistics costs (26 cases).

Based on these survey results, the Provincial Agricultural Research and Extension Services plans to analyze the characteristics of by-product generation by item and review the conditions necessary for raw material supply, such as collection, pre-treatment, and storage. It intends to use this as foundational data so that startups looking to utilize agricultural by-products can stably secure raw materials.

An official from the Provincial Agricultural Research and Extension Services stated, "By-products generated during the manufacturing and processing of agricultural products are resources that can be utilized as new industrial raw materials," adding, "Based on the results of this survey, we will prepare the foundational data necessary to develop a stable raw material supply model reflecting the characteristics of each item."

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