Chicken imports reached an all-time high, South Korea's self-sufficiency rate collapsed to 80%

Last year, chicken imports reached an all-time high, showing that the domestic self-sufficiency rate of 80% collapsed. It is the first time in over 20 years that the self-sufficiency rate has fallen below 80%. Producer groups called for an end to imports, saying that the domestic production base had collapsed due to the quota tariff (0%) policy. According to the Korea Customs Service, chicken imports last year amounted to 234,873 tons. This is the highest since chicken imports began in 1995 following the results of the Uruguay Round (UR) negotiations. Chicken imports amounted to only 141,686 tons in 2019. Afterwards, 139,065 tons and 148,556 tons were imported in 2020 and 2021, respectively, maintaining similar levels. However, it rapidly increased to 181,625 tons in 2022 and 234,873 tons in 2023, showing an increase of about 90,000 tons in two years. It is analyzed that the government's quota policy has had a significant impact on the rapid increase in chicken imports. In 2022 ...