South Korea: Importing apples must be conducted in accordance with principles and procedures

Published 2024년 4월 8일

Tridge summary

The GS&J Institute has issued a report cautioning against the temporary relaxation of quarantine measures for imported apples, a measure proposed by some media to stabilize apple prices, due to the risk of introducing foreign pests and diseases, which could threaten food security and breach the Plant Quarantine Act and WTO agreements. The report underscores the importance of the Import Risk Analysis (IRA) process, which can span several years, to mitigate these risks. Instead, the institute recommends increasing the supply of alternative domestic fruits until early-ripening apples are available. Additionally, the article mentions a report by Kim So-jin on the shipping of goods to the market in July, which has contributed to the stabilization of prices, providing insights into market dynamics during this period.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Some media outlets are calling for temporarily easing the quarantine of imported apples to stabilize prices, but it is pointed out that this runs counter to the current Plant Quarantine Act and international agreements. In addition, if the quarantine threshold is lowered, there is a risk that foreign pests and diseases will be introduced and food security will be shaken. In a recent report titled ‘Myths and Truths about Import Quarantine of Agricultural Products’, the GS&J Institute warned, “Even if it takes time, importing apples must be done in accordance with procedures after completing an Import Risk Analysis (IRA) in accordance with quarantine principles.” Apples have been stigmatized as the main culprit of price increases, and some media have suggested ‘temporary apple imports’ as an alternative. The argument is to secure the supply of apples by temporarily lowering the import quarantine threshold. In order for foreign apples to enter the country, they must pass a total of 8 ...

Source: Nongmin