Dried Korean Persimmon Goes Abroad

Persimmons are the main treat of the autumn season in Korea. The areas of Cheongdo, Mungyeong, and Sangju are Korea's top producing regions of persimmons. In these regions, the annual temperature range is 27~29°C, which is higher than that of the Korean Inland at 26~27°C. As wet air flows through the Sobaek and Taebaek mountain area bringing rain and dry air, these areas receive the least amount of precipitation in the country. Due to these geographical conditions and the vast temperature difference between day and night, these areas produce persimmons with high sugar contents, making the quality of these persimmons so good that they were served to the kings of Korea back in the days.

Nature Farm, a Korean agricultural venture company, is producing quality products using dried persimmons, which are produced in the Gyeongbuk region. Their raw materials are “Cheongdo flat persimmons", which are characterized by the absence of seeds. This makes it easier to process than other types of persimmons. It is round oblate, slightly concave at the top, somewhat pentagonal, and of good quality. Nature Farm boasts a very hygienic production process as the products are all being dried with dryer machines rather than being dried naturally, which used to be the traditional Korean way of making dried persimmons.

Persimmon has a very high content of vitamins and tannins, which are effective against colds, high blood pressure, circulatory diseases, diabetes, fatigue, and are also beneficial for your skin. Also, its unique taste has received excellent feedback from overseas buyers. However, when compared to dried mangoes and dried pineapples, dried persimmons have a higher export price and higher local market prices. Nature Farm is now trying to position the product in the premium fruit sector. This is a challenge for the Korean producers that needs to be addressed in the future in order to be able to compete in the global market.

The demand for dried persimmon has significantly increased in Japan, the current main importing country of Korean dried persimmons. In Japan, the main production area of persimmons is near Fukushima, where there are problems with radioactivity. For this reason, Japanese consumers tend to be reluctant to purchase their local persimmon products and they are open to switching to Korean dried persimmons. In other countries, persimmons are still an unfamiliar fruit, but the influence of the Korean Wave has attracted a considerable amount of customers who are interested in Korean products. In 2019, exports to Thailand, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore have been steadily increasing, as well as to new countries such as New Zealand and Canada.