280,000 tons of bagged rice, 120,000 tons of bulk rice to be purchased; inspections run through year-end
National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service deploys 130-plus offices nationwide; urges compliance with shipping standards and on-site safety
![An inspector from the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service examines the quality of rice submitted for the public reserve purchase program. [National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/10/20/news-p.v1.20261020.3b93f3e60fcd44c5b56d36118596da34_P1.png)
The government is set to begin full-scale inspections to purchase 400,000 tons of this year's public reserve rice. Inspections of bulk rice have been under way since last month, and bagged-rice inspections will begin Friday, with the purchase process continuing through year-end.
The National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service announced Tuesday that it will conduct purchase inspections for 2026-crop public reserve rice at more than 3,000 inspection sites nationwide, starting in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday. The inspection covers a total of 400,000 tons, including rice flour varieties, measured in rice equivalent.
This year's public reserve rice purchase is divided into 280,000 tons of bagged rice and 120,000 tons of bulk rice. Bagged rice refers to harvested rice that is dried, packed into sacks and shipped. Bulk rice is rice shipped directly after harvest — without being bagged — to rice processing complexes or drying and storage facilities.
The 280,000 tons of bagged rice will be inspected directly by the agency's more than 130 regional offices and branches nationwide. Inspections will proceed according to regionally allocated quotas and are scheduled to wrap up by Dec. 31.
Inspections of the 120,000 tons of bulk rice have been under way since Sept. 7 at 365 rice processing complexes and drying and storage facilities across the country. Private inspectors conduct on-site checks timed to the rice harvest season.
To improve the accuracy and reliability of the purchase inspections, the agency held a briefing session on Sept. 30 for 134 inspectors nationwide, covering purchase procedures and related guidelines. Regional offices also carried out preliminary quality checks.
"We ask shipping farmers to double-check that their shipments meet the inspection standards," said Kim Cheol, head of the agency. "We also urge all parties involved in the purchase process to cooperate fully with on-site staff guidance to prevent accidents involving forklifts, transport vehicles and other equipment during movement and operations."
adastra@heraldcorp.com
