South Korea: Strawberry exports require variety diversification

There is a claim that fresh strawberries for export should be harvested when the coloring rate reaches 70-90% and that the phenomenon of varietal bias should be eliminated. The Korean Society for Horticultural Science (Chairman Jeon Chang-hoo) held the ‘120th Fall Academic Conference’ at the Changwon Convention Center in Gyeongnam on the 7th. In a special lecture titled ‘Changes in the Export Competitiveness of Korean Fresh Strawberries and Tasks to Be Solved,’ Yoon Hye-sook, head of the Horticultural Research and Extension Services at Gyeongnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services, pointed out that “the main export variety, ‘Geumsil,’ has a slow coloring rate and is more advantageous for storage when the fruit is unripe, so it tends to be harvested when the coloring rate is 40-50%.” She added that “Overseas buyers want sweet and bright red strawberries, but Korean strawberries sold on the shelves are underripe, creating a sense of disparity.” Manager Yoon advised, “You ...