CreatripTeam

The South Korean government has spent about 10.8 billion won over three years to industrialize 'garu-ssal' (powdered rice) aiming to replace 10% of imported wheat, but the project has underperformed. Only 12.6% of purchased garu-ssal stock was sold by late August, leaving roughly 15,000 tons of inventory that the Ministry of Agriculture plans to convert into alcohol (used as a spirit/raw material). Food companies say garu-ssal is more expensive than wheat flour and needs costly recipe and equipment changes, so many major firms have withdrawn products. Government production targets were cut by 40% after optimistic initial plans. Transparency is weak—39 of 52 participating firms refused to disclose sales—and the program may have crowded out the domestic wheat (guksan mil) industry, whose inventories surged from 10,000 to 60,000 tons and whose production fell. Some experts note garu-ssal’s favorable aroma and stickiness could make it useful in select products if scale and supply stabilize, but for now the sector remains premature for broad commercialization.