South Korea Fresh Grape insights

Yeongdong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do Province, carried out promotional activities in Los Angeles, USA from the 5th to the 12th to develop overseas markets for grapes. This activity was conducted as part of a project to support overseas market sales of agricultural and specialty products, and to raise awareness of Yeongdong grapes in the US market and expand exports. Officials from the Hwanggan Grape Export Crop Association and Hwanggan Agricultural Cooperative held promotional and tasting events at 30 H Mart stores in the US and informed local consumers of the taste and quality of Yeongdong grapes. They also promoted Yeongdong grapes to Americans by informing them of the event through various promotional media such as newspapers, leaflets, and SNS. In addition, they held a meeting with H Mart importers.

“In order to alleviate the concentration of Shine Muscat cultivation and expand consumer choice, various types of grapes must be cultivated. The problem is that support and interest are needed for the new grape varieties produced to form a stable domestic consumer market along with steady exports.” Recently, as the concentration of ‘Shine Muscat’ cultivation has intensified and side effects have been occurring, the argument that the crisis should be overcome through variety diversification is gaining ground in Gyeongbuk, the largest grape producing region in Korea. Farmers’ interest in cultivating new domestic varieties that will continue the reputation of Shine Muscat has also increased. Shine Muscat, which has been distributed to farms since the early 2010s, has rapidly taken over the grape market as its production area has increased rapidly in the past 5-6 years. In Gyeongbuk, the grape cultivation area is approximately 8,200 ha as of 2022, of which 4,878 ha is Shine Muscat cultivation area, accounting for 60%. Considering that Gyeongbuk's grape cultivation area accounts for 56% of the nation's total, and that Shine Muscat cultivation is rapidly increasing in other regions, we can guess how serious the concentration of a specific variety is.  Shine Muscat also has an unrivaled export share. As of 2023, Gyeongbuk exported $35.4 million worth of Shine Muscat to Southeast Asian countries, accounting for 90% of the total grape exports in the Gyeongbuk region and 79% of the national grape exports. The producing region is concerned about this concentration of a single variety. This is because although it can help stabilize production through scale-up, there is always a concern that the price will fall due to flood shipments. In fact, the price of Shine Muscat in September this year plummeted to 51% of that of three years ago. Since exports also have to compete with China, Japan, etc., there is a considerable risk of trademark infringement and local price declines.  Hwang Eui-chang, the representative director of the Korea Grape Export Association, said, “It is somewhat concerning that one variety accounts for 90% of exports,” and “Overseas markets also demand a variety of varieties other than Shine Muscat.” Farmers also agree on the need for variety diversification. However, the uncertainty of new varieties is holding them back.

Grapes grown in the highlands of Namwon, Jeollabuk-do at the foot of Mt. Jiri are suffering from severe damage due to high temperatures and drought last summer. According to Namwon City on the 30th, grapes grown in the highlands of Ayeong, Inwol, Sannae, and Unbong are suffering from widespread damage due to poor coloring and reduced sugar content. The color of the grapes, which should be dark black, has turned red, and the sugar content, which was above 15 Brix on average, is staying around 11 Brix. It is said that 11 Brix is too sour and practically difficult to sell. This is because the average temperature last summer rose significantly and the rainfall also decreased sharply. Based on Unbong-eup, the average temperature last summer was 26.4 degrees, 1.7 degrees higher than the average, and the rainfall was only 59 mm, 277.3 mm lower than the average. A Namwon City official said, "For highland grape growth, a summer temperature of 25 degrees and rainfall of around 300mm are appropriate," and "Since it greatly exceeded this, normal growth did not occur." As a result, grapes with poor marketability are being shipped for less than 5,000 won per 3kg or are being discarded at the production site. Even grapes that are being sold normally are priced at an average of 18,000 won per 3kg. This is extremely low compared to last year, when it was around 23,000 won. The remaining grapes are also not receiving a fair price because they were shipped late after Chuseok due to poor growth. According to Namwon City's investigation, the damaged area is around 100ha, which is about 40% of the total 240ha. Accordingly, Namwon City is seeking countermeasures, such as requesting support for damage to farmers from Jeollabuk-do. A Namwon City official said, "This is a large-scale damage that is hard to find a precedent for," and added, "As this kind of damage can occur frequently due to climate change, government-level measures are necessary." doin100@yna.co.kr Report to KakaoTalk okjebo <Copyright (c) Yonhap News, Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution, AI learning and use prohibited> 2024/09/30 15:40 Sent