대한민국 이과류(심) 인사이트

[Reporter Seong-je Cho, Korea Agricultural and Fishery Newspaper] Gyeongsangbuk-do, the largest apple producing region in the country, is predicting that there will be no more ‘golden apple’ crisis this year ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday due to the increase in apple production last year. According to the data from Statistics Korea released in December last year, the national apple production last year was 460,000 tons, a 16.6% increase from 2023 (394,000 tons). In addition, the production per 10a in 2024 was found to be 1,912 kg, a 19.7% increase from 1,598 kg in 2023. Gyeongsangbuk-do said that this increase in production is less than the average apple production level of 490,000 tons.

[Reporter Sang-Hyeon Seo, Korea Agricultural and Fishery Newspaper] As the price of apples continued to rise, the controversy over ‘golden apples’ and public opinion calling for the expediting of quarantine procedures for apples, which are banned from import, continued throughout the first half of the year, leading to strong opposition from the agricultural sector. Due to various natural disasters including cold damage, the production of apples and pears in 2023 decreased by 30% and 26%, respectively, compared to the previous year, causing a significant increase in domestic prices. Regarding this market situation, many daily newspapers used the expressions ‘golden apples’ and ‘apple crisis’, blaming apples for the rising prices, and eventually manipulated public opinion by saying that quarantine measures should be lifted to stabilize supply and demand. ‘Imports should be unconditionally blocked for quarantine procedures’

According to the “2024 Autumn Cabbage, Radish, Soybean, Apple, and Pear Production Survey Results” released by Statistics Korea on December 23, the total production of apples and pears in 2024 is expected to increase by 10.4% year-on-year to 639,000 tons. Apples are expected to increase by 16.6% to 460,000 tons, and pears are expected to decrease by 2.9% to 178,000 tons.