Fresh Strawberry insights

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 should harvest when the coloring rate reaches 70-90%, like in Japan, where bright red strawberries are sold at overseas stores,” and added, “However, as the coloring rate increases, there are handprints and damage from being pressed, so instead of stacking them in existing packaging boxes, you should put them in single-tier harvest boxes.” He also pointed out that the main export varieties should be expanded. According to the Rural Development Administration, the export value of fresh strawberries was $69.67 million at the end of last year, of which 90% was the domestic variety ‘Geumsil.’ Manager Yoon said, “There are about 120 registered strawberry varieties, but only five varieties are actually cultivated, and since the export process is focused on a single variety, production is vulnerable to weather conditions.” Due to climate change, the occurrence of anthracnose and wilt diseases is increasing due to high temperatures during the seedling period, and frequent rain in winter is increasing poor flowering, which is reducing strawberry price competitiveness. Director Yoon emphasized, “Last year, as domestic strawberry production decreased by 15% compared to 2019, prices skyrocketed, and the market share of strawberries from the US, China, and Australia, which were previously cheaper than Korean strawberries, increased in the export market.” He continued, “We need to introduce smart farm technology that can automate cultivation and distribution to lower production costs, and reduce transportation costs through exports using CA (Controlled Atmosphere) container ships.”

(Goryeong=Yonhap News) Reporter Yoon Gwan-sik = 'Goryeong strawberries' have been shipped for the first time ahead of the winter season. According to Goryeong-gun on the 8th, strawberries of the Seolhyang variety were shipped from Lee Heon-gwang's farm in Daegaya-eup that morning. Goryeong strawberries are a specialty of Goryeong-gun and are grown using eco-friendly farming methods, so they have excellent color and sugar content. Goryeong-gun is the largest strawberry producing region in Gyeongbuk Province, and strawberries are grown in 1,834 greenhouses (143 hectares). The county will start shipping Goryeong strawberries in earnest from the end of this month. Lee Heon-gwang said, "I was worried this year due to the worsening weather conditions, such as the abnormally high temperatures, but seeing the first strawberries I harvested makes all the hardships disappear." Goryeong-gun Governor Lee Nam-cheol said, "We will work hard to improve the quality and competitiveness of Goryeong's premium strawberries and increase consumer trust." psik@yna.co.kr Report to KakaoTalk okjebo <Copyright (c) Yonhap News, Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution, AI learning and use prohibited> 2024/11/08 13:02 Sent

The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, María González Corral, has highlighted the leading role of Castilla y León in the production of strawberry plants and their transformation, to which is now added the obtaining of the fruit directly in greenhouses. Castilla y León, with 35 strawberry plant producing nurseries and a surface area of 1,500 hectares, is the first producer of plants in Europe, with some 950 million units per year. “The climatic conditions of the community, together with the experience of the producers, have allowed us to be absolute references for a crop of high economic value”, she pointed out during a work day in the Carracillo region, in Segovia. The nurseries of the community are finishing these days the harvest of the plants that have been cultivated and multiplied in fields in Segovia, Ávila, Valladolid and Soria for their transplantation in fields and greenhouses in more southern latitudes. The production of strawberry plants (87% of the national total)