(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Yoon-gu = The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs held a ceremony on the 30th at the Seoul Agricultural Cooperatives Federation to mark the first official shipment of Hanwoo to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The countries officially exporting Hanwoo have increased to five, including Hong Kong, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and now the UAE.
The UAE is a high-income country that relies on imports for over 90% of its beef consumption. In particular, there has been a surge in demand for Japanese beef, which has similar price and quality to Hanwoo within the UAE.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs expects the UAE, with its high demand for high-quality beef, to become an important country for Hanwoo exports.
Deputy Minister Kang Hyeong-seok of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said at the ceremony, "The export to the UAE is not just about adding one more Hanwoo export country, but it has significant meaning as it marks the official entry into the halal market of 1.9 billion people." He added, "We will strengthen support, including local promotional events, to expand Hanwoo exports and secure new markets through quarantine negotiations."
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to recruit experience groups from foreign tourists visiting Korea this month to introduce the taste of Hanwoo and jointly develop Hanwoo experience and consumption tour programs with the tourism industry.
ykim@yna.co.kr