The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs: "Kimchi-making season supply will be smooth" ... Supply and demand measures to be announced early next month

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Yoon-gu = The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs predicted on the 23rd that the supply of key kimchi ingredients such as napa cabbage, radish, gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder), and garlic will be smooth this year.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs checked the supply and demand situation of kimchi ingredients at a meeting chaired by Director of Food Policy Kim Jong-gu on the same day.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs stated that although napa cabbage and radish were affected by diseases such as clubroot due to frequent autumn rains, the cultivation area increased and the inventory of large demand sites such as kimchi companies is sufficient, so there will be no problems in supply during the kimchi season.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to maintain stable supply by securing government available quantities such as reserve volumes in preparation for temporary supply imbalances due to weather conditions.

The supply of seasoning vegetables such as gochugaru, garlic, onion, scallions, chives, and ginger is also expected to be smooth overall.

However, garlic, whose mountain prices have risen, and chives, whose crop yield is poor, may have somewhat higher prices, and the government plans to increase the supply of reserve garlic and strengthen the management of chives growth until shipment.

The production of cabbage is expected to increase by about 13% compared to last year and the price is expected to decrease.

The supply of seafood such as solar salt, shrimp paste, and anchovy sauce is also expected to be sufficient, but the price of anchovy sauce is expected to be somewhat strong due to the decrease in anchovy production.

To alleviate the burden on consumers, the government plans to supply seafood used for kimchi at low prices at the "Republic of Korea Fisheries Expo" and to encourage the consumption of other items by substituting anchovy sauce.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to announce a stabilization plan for the supply and demand of kimchi ingredients, including the expansion of supply and discount support, early next month.

ykim@yna.co.kr