South Korea Fruits insights

On the 17th, Gou Hara Shigeki, chairman of the Japanese Sweet Potato Friendship Association's advisory board, officially visited Haenam County and conducted various schedules for sweet potato industry exchange and cooperation. This visit was arranged as a response to the sweet potato industry business agreement signed last year, and as a preliminary exchange and consultation ahead of the planned 'Korea-China-Japan Sweet Potato International Workshop' to be held in Haenam County next year. Chairman Gou Hara and his delegation visited Haenam County Office and met with County Mayor Myung Hyun-gwan to discuss future cooperation directions, and also visited sites like Hwasan Agricultural Cooperative to directly examine local cultivation techniques and industrialization status.

(Daejeon=Yonhap News) By Park Ju-young = It was predicted that the invasive pest 'Yellow Longhorn Beetle' that has settled in Jeju has a high possibility of establishing itself if it enters the South Coast region. According to the National Institute of Forest Science of the Korea Forest Service on the 17th, an analysis of ecological information and domestic climate suitability for over 200 invasive pests through machine learning suggests that the Yellow Longhorn Beetle is likely to settle in some areas of the South Coast if it enters the region. Originally from subtropical regions, the Yellow Longhorn Beetle was first reported in Jeju in 2019 and officially confirmed to have settled domestically in 2022. During its larval stage, it primarily inhabits nettle trees, creating long tunnel-like holes inside the stems, causing trees to die or even fall. Adult beetles strip the branches and bark of nettle trees, causing them to wither and die. In contrast, the dry wood termite discovered in Changwon, Gyeongnam in September 2023 was predicted to have a low possibility of domestic settlement. Invasive pests can be eliminated during initial entry when their distribution range is narrow, but once they adapt to the domestic climate and spread, control becomes difficult, requiring continuous management. With recent climate change expanding pest distribution ranges and increasing population numbers, there is an urgent need to establish a preemptive response system to prevent new subtropical invasive pest entries. Researcher Nam Young-woo of the Forest Pest Research Division stated, "We are conducting research using artificial intelligence technology to predict and quickly respond to large-scale invasive pest occurrences" and "The calculated climate suitability will be used to quantitatively identify common characteristics of reported species and predict settlement possibilities of potential invasive pests not yet introduced." jyoung@yna.co.kr

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Yun-gu = The average retail price of a watermelon has recently been skyrocketing, surpassing 30,000 won. According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) on the 15th, the average retail price of a watermelon (top grade) was 30,327 won at traditional markets the previous day, breaking the 30,000 won mark. The distribution industry notes that while the average retail price was 29,543 won, there are already many places selling watermelons for over 30,000 won. The nationwide average watermelon price was 29,816 won the previous day, just shy of 30,000 won. This is a 700 won increase from the previous collection date on the 11th, and more than 6,000 won higher compared to the 4th (23,763 won) in just ten days. This is approximately 8,500 won (39.8%) higher than a year ago and 41.8% more expensive than the average year. The distribution industry views this as a result of hot weather affecting growth, leading to lower sugar content and a shortage of volumes above the standard. A fruit store owner in Mapo, Seoul, said, "At the beginning of this month, I was selling 8kg watermelons for 28,000-29,000 won, but now I'm selling them for 37,000 won." He added, "For 9kg watermelons, I should be getting 40,000 won, but I'm selling at 39,000 won. The hot weather means the sugar content isn't rising, resulting in low volume," he told Yonhap News. He further noted, "If it continues to rain this week, prices could rise even more." Increased demand due to the heat wave is also cited as a factor in the price increase. The Korea Rural Economic Institute predicts that while watermelon shipments this month will be similar to last year, prices will rise due to temperature increases. ykim@yna.co.kr