Agriculture & Food insights

China's beer exports have reached a new historical high for the third consecutive month. In August, Russia's import volume increased by 50% month-on-month and by 1.1 times year-on-year. In terms of actual sales, China's beer sales in the Russian market also increased significantly, reaching a historical high of 7.2 million liters, compared to 4.9 million liters in July and 3.4 million liters in August of last year. Russia has thus become the largest importer of Chinese beer. Hong Kong ranked second with $5.8 million, and Australia ranked third with $3.7 million. From January to August this year, Russian enterprises purchased 32.2 million liters of beer from China, totaling $29.3 million, with both sales volume and sales value increasing by 60% compared to the same period last year.

(Yanggu=Yonhap News) Reporter Yang Ji-woong = Yanggu, Gangwon Province's representative agricultural product, apples, are being shipped in full swing ahead of the Chuseok holiday, meeting consumers nationwide. According to Yanggu County on the 22nd, local apple farms will start shipping Hongro this week, targeting Chuseok. This year, 264 farms are expected to produce 6,500 tons of apples, bringing in an income of 30 billion won. This is 1,000 tons more than last year, bringing in an additional 5 billion won. The apple cultivation area in the Yanggu region is a total of 350 hectares, with Busa being the largest and Hongro coming next. Busa is scheduled to ship in mid-to-late next month. Yanggu has a high altitude, with a cool climate, large diurnal temperature variation, and low rainfall but high solar radiation in autumn, making it an ideal condition for apple cultivation. Yanggu apples have a sugar content of over 12 Brix, firm flesh, a crisp taste, and a long storage period, making them popular among consumers. The apple cultivation area in Yanggu has steadily increased from 218 hectares in 2020 to 347 hectares last year. In response, Yanggu County is pushing various projects to enhance the competitiveness of the apple industry and support stable production. Projects include the branding of Yanggu apples, fostering local industries, creating premium orchards, cultivating high-quality apples, revitalizing horticultural crops, and expanding infrastructure to enhance the competitiveness of apples and other fruits. In particular, apples, along with watermelons, melons, gomchwi, and asparagus, have been designated as the five strategic crops of Yanggu County, with continuous efforts being made to promote specialized projects using eco-friendly agricultural materials. An official from Yanggu County said, "Yanggu apples have long been treated as the best quality fruit in the agricultural market and are a renowned fruit. We will strive to continue growing the apple industry while maintaining its reputation." Yanggu County plans to hold the "2025 Youth Yanggu Punch Ball Sirae-gi Apple Festival," a festival combining its representative agricultural products, apples and sirae-gi, starting from the 31st of next month in Haean-myeon.

As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, mooncakes, a traditional Chinese delicacy symbolizing reunion, are making their way to the world, reaching an export peak. According to statistics from the Zhongshan Customs under the Gongbei Customs, from January to August this year, the mooncakes exported under the supervision of this customs exceeded 600 tons, with a value of approximately 47 million RMB. "One cannot say they have celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival without eating mooncakes." Ms. Huang, a customer purchasing mooncakes at the Yifeng Food Factory store in Zhongshan, said that every year before the Mid-Autumn Festival, she would buy mooncakes to give to her relatives and friends. In Zhongshan, traditional Cantonese mooncakes such as egg yolk lotus paste mooncakes still dominate sales, accounting for about 90% of the export mooncake sales. "This year, we have continued to export to our traditional overseas markets and have further expanded our overseas sales channels, selling for the first time in two overseas countries," introduced Yifeng's general manager, Huang Yuexuan. Entering Yifeng's production area, one is greeted by the happy scent of reunion. This food production enterprise, founded in the 1990s, has recently launched low-sugar, low-fat fruit sorbet mooncakes with a refreshing taste similar to ice cream, which have received a very positive market response. Huang Yuexuan said, "As a seasonal food, exported mooncakes have a strong time sensitivity and must reach overseas markets before the Mid-Autumn Festival, which places extremely high demands on production efficiency and customs clearance speed." To ensure the smooth export of mooncakes, the Zhongshan Customs has introduced a series of precise service measures. "We implement 'one company, one policy,' tailoring supervision plans for food production enterprises, guiding them to establish a HACCP food safety management system, and strengthening source control of raw materials such as lotus seeds and salted egg yolks. In the customs clearance process, we provide '5+2' appointment inspection services, implementing immediate reporting and inspection, and prioritizing testing, to fully ensure the rapid clearance of mooncakes," said Li Yingzhi, Deputy Chief of the Inspection Division at the Zhongshan Customs Shiqi Office.