South Korea: Hasty import of ‘apples', calls for accelerated decline in cultivation

Fresh Apple

Fruits

South Korea

Market & Price Trends

Published Mar 13, 2024

Tridge summary

The public outcry in South Korea for apple imports due to high prices is being scrutinized as it could potentially harm the domestic fruit industry. The high prices are a result of decreased production due to weather conditions and pests. Despite a decrease in apple cultivation, production is expected to rise again. However, there are concerns that cheap foreign products could lead to the closure of apple farms. Additionally, apple consumption has decreased due to the convenience of consumption and increased consumption of imported fruits. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is conducting an apple import risk analysis to ensure food security and protect people's health.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by a state-of-the-art LLM model and is intended for informational purposes only. It is recommended that readers refer to the original article for more context.

Original content

There is a strong public outcry to encourage imports by taking issue with apple prices, which were temporarily high due to a decrease in production last year. Is importing apples an urgent enough issue to ignore concerns that it will cause a crisis in the domestic fruit industry, including apples? Those who advocate importing apples dismiss domestically produced apples as fruits that can no longer be purchased because they are expensive. However, apple prices, like other agricultural products, rise and fall depending on supply and demand. Production in 2023 was 394,000 tons, a 30.3% decrease from the previous year due to weather conditions and pests and diseases. On the other hand, apple production in 2022 recorded 566,000 tons, a 9.7% increase from the previous year. If you compare only apples produced in two years, the perceived price difference is bound to be as large as the difference in production. The media often mentions ‘golden apples,’ but if you look at trends over the ...

Source: Nongmin