Domestic black soybeans set to replace seoriate as cultivation area grows 12-fold in 5 years

New domestic black soybean varieties developed to broaden consumption are rapidly gaining ground in both cultivation area and the processed-food market.

The Rural Development Administration said Tuesday it is pushing to expand the domestic soybean consumption base by promoting two new varieties: Cheongja 5, suited for mechanical harvesting, and Soman, which has enhanced functional compounds.

Black soybeans are rich in functional compounds such as anthocyanins and enjoy strong consumer demand, but the traditional seoriate variety — the category's dominant cultivar — has long posed challenges for large-scale farming and mechanical harvesting due to low yields and a tendency to lodge.

The RDA has focused on developing new varieties with improved productivity and functional properties to address those shortcomings.

Cheongja 5 was bred to overcome the weaknesses of traditional seoriate. It yields 343 kilograms per 10 ares — about 70 percent more than seoriate's roughly 200 kilograms — and is suited for mechanical harvesting, allowing stable cultivation in paddy fields.

The cultivated area for Cheongja 5 has grown nearly 12-fold, from 314 hectares in 2020 to 3,703 hectares this year. Production value over the same period is estimated to have risen from 10.7 billion won (about $7 million) to around 127 billion won.

Growth in the processed-food sector has been equally striking. Processed products using Cheongja 5 — including soy milk, doenjang (fermented soybean paste) and confectionery — expanded from six items in 2023 to more than 20 this year. One soy milk maker saw sales of its Cheongja 5-based seoriate soy milk jump from 200,000 packets in 2020 to 5.5 million packets last year.

Soman, developed alongside Cheongja 5, takes a different focus. Its anthocyanin and isoflavone content exceeds that of conventional seoriate, drawing attention as a raw ingredient for health functional foods.

RDA research found that in animal studies, Cheongja 5 showed effects in improving obesity and metabolic syndrome, while Soman demonstrated tumor growth inhibition.

The RDA is particularly working to verify Soman's commercial potential by developing a range of processed foods using the variety, including natto, soy milk, soybean oil and grain powder blends.

The agency also plans to develop high-protein, low-odor soybean varieties in parallel, with the aim of expanding applications into the plant-based protein market and senior-friendly food sectors.

"This is the right moment to build a consumption expansion strategy in step with rising domestic soybean output," said Ko Jong-min, head of the RDA's upland crop development division. "Black soybean varieties suited for mechanical harvesting can serve as an alternative that simultaneously drives expansion of the production base and nurtures high-value-added industries."