A growing number of farmers in rural South Korea are choosing to sell their produce directly at supermarkets rather than working with distributors.<br />It's an approach that's benefitting both the farmers and their customers... and it's being encouraged by local governments.<br />Cho Sung-min has this report. <br />These farmers in the city of Nonsan, Chungcheongbuk-do Province are picking some cabbages they plan to sell in the afternoon.<br />They bring their produce to stations in local supermarkets where customers can buy it directly.<br />The best part about this system is that it eliminates many steps that would be needed if a distributor were involved.<br />That means it takes less time and money overall to get the goods from the farm to the store.<br />As a result, consumers get the freshest vegetables and fruits every day... and the farmers make more money.<br /><br /><br />"I've been making a lot more money since I started selling my products here directly."<br /><br />According to experts in the region,... this particular way of buying and selling produce has gotten positive feedback from both farmers and their customers.<br />Each of these mini produce markets sells more than ten-thousand dollars worth of fresh fruit and vegetables every day... for a jump of nearly twenty percent from last year's figure.<br />With a substantial rise in overall profit... there's been a drastic increase in the number of farmers selling here.<br /><br /><br />"It is good to know that farmers are earning more this way. I also like the fact that I can get a lot of good quality vegetables."<br /><br />A Nonsan city official said the city has clearly seen a win-win result from the mini markets... and said they will continue to expand the project by working with other cities nearby.<br />Cho Sung-min, arirang news. <br />
