CHANGWON — The Gyeongsangnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services said on the 7th that it has developed and is distributing two sweet potato varieties, Dawonmi and Gawonmi, bred specifically for starch processing. The aim is to replace imported starch feedstock with domestic supply and raise farm incomes.
Starch is used across industries including food, paper and confectionery and baking. Sweet potatoes grown for the table are judged mainly on texture and appearance, while those grown for starch must deliver both a high starch content and high yields.
Dawonmi has a starch content of 25.9% and is a high-yielding variety that can produce more than 5 metric tons per 10 ares when cultivated for 150 days or longer. Gawonmi, developed afterward, has a higher starch content of 27.4% and sets more tubers per plant, meaning profitability for farmers improves the longer the growing period, the agency said.
Sweet potatoes for starch processing can be harvested by machine and in ton bags, or large-capacity sacks, which also lowers production costs.
The agency has been working to shift sweet potatoes from a food crop to a raw material for processing industries, arranging licensed distribution of 4.5 million Dawonmi seedlings last year and 10 million Gawonmi seedlings this year, while expanding contract farming with starch manufacturers.
Moon Jin-young, a researcher at the Crop Research Division, said, "We will actively push field distribution and commercialization so that Dawonmi and Gawonmi create new value for sweet potatoes and become a foundation for growers and processors to grow together."
