Ramie is one of the oldest fiber crops. It has been used mostly for the fabric production at least for six thousand years worldwide. However ramie is recently focused on for the rice cake production in the area of Yeonggwang, Korea, in the name of “Yeonggwang Moshie Songpyeon”. It is well recognized as a local food, and its sales rate and the cultivation area is correspondingly increased. Ramie (Boehmeria nivea) is a flowering plant in the nettle family Urticaceae, native to eastern Asia mostly in China, Philippines, India, South Korea, and Thailand. The importance of rice cake called “Yeonggwang Moshie Songpyeon” was recognized based on its possibility of raw material self-sufficiency and its value of utilization as for the local resources. Currently there are some progresses for the purpose of rice cake. From the past, Yoenggwang has been spread young ramie to local farmers based on the breeding technique and the “know-how” how to propagate it largely. Here we want introduce how to cultivate ramie in reasonable way, and discuss further necessity needs.

• Young-mi Kim(Yeonggwang Agricultural Developement Center) Main author
• Yong-su Jung(Yeonggwang Agricultural Developement Center)
• Sun-young Yang(Yeonggwang Agricultural Developement Center)
• Ok Ran Lee(Department of Applied Plant Science, Chonnam National University)