aT bolsters agri-food exports with K-Food talent program

The Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation, or aT, together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, held its K-Food Academy graduation ceremony Thursday at the Agricultural, Fisheries and Food Distribution Education Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.

The K-Food Academy is aT’s flagship training program for food industry professionals. It offers four tracks: K-Food Specialist (eight months), Agricultural and Food Distribution Specialist (four months), Agricultural and Food Global Marketing Specialist (four months), and Agricultural Product Supply Specialist (four months).

“Since its founding in 1985 as a specialized institute for agricultural and food policy, aT’s education center has continued to evolve with the times,” aT CEO Hong Moon-pyo said.

“We will keep advancing our curriculum with programs on AI-integrated talent, climate response and distribution innovation to deliver support for agricultural, fisheries and food companies.”

Participants received instruction from academic experts, supply-chain specialists and overseas buyers, covering topics such as business trends, smart farm applications in food-tech, online wholesale distribution and market-entry strategies by country. Field trips and overseas training provided additional opportunities for business collaboration.

The academy focuses on connecting in-class training to real-world commercialization, particularly for regional specialty products.

For the recent programs aT invited merchandising directors from Korea’s organic food retailer Oasis Market for one-on-one consultations with 33 companies, while also arranging buyer meetings during overseas training sessions.

aT’s trainees developed five export-focused products targeting Europe — including a snack-style soup made with domestic seaweed — which are now preparing for shipment.

Oasis Market has already secured direct purchase agreements with four partner companies, and sales of Yanggu Eco-Friendly Dried Radish reached 18 million won ($12,200) per month since its launch in early September.