(Gapyeong=Yonhap News) Kim Do-yun, Reporter = 'Gapyeong Pine Nuts', which used to account for 40% of national production, are disappearing.
Production has plummeted to one-hundredth of the level from 10 years ago, with pests such as the 'pine seed bug' and 'white-spotted longhorn beetle' cited as the cause.
According to Gapyeong County on the 19th, the region's pine nut production in 2023 was recorded at 24 tons.
This is just 1.1% of the 2,205 tons produced 10 years ago in 2014.
Gapyeong was the primary production area for 40% of the country's pine nuts. In 2010, it produced 3,937 tons, accounting for 58.6% of national production.
Pine nut production in Gapyeong, which used to be 1,000-3,000 tons annually, dropped sharply to 183 tons in 2018 and remained in the hundreds, further declining to 82 tons in 2021 and 24 tons in 2023.
As a result, national pine nut production fell from 6,671 tons in 2014 to 816 tons in 2023.
The pine seed bug is cited as the first cause of production decline.
The Gyeonggi-do Forest Environment Research Institute discovered the pine seed bug on pine trees in the area in 2020.
Originally from North America, this pest was first confirmed in Korea in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, in 2010.
While not affecting tree growth, it is known to insert its proboscis into pine cones and suck out the contents, resulting in poor seed formation.
Actual harvests show that while the exterior appears normal, most seeds are hollow inside.
The problem is that control is difficult.
Aerial control would be effective, but beekeepers oppose it due to potential honey bee damage.
The second cause is the white-spotted longhorn beetle.
Gapyeong County also analyzed the spread of pine wood nematode in recent years as another production decline factor