Importing Chinese Cabbage… “It Will Only Lower Local Prices”

The South Korean government is importing Chinese cabbage to stabilize the supply due to poor summer harvests, but the move has sparked criticism from farmers who argue that it drives down prices at production sites. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is also considering measures to support highland industries and address the decreasing supply of cabbage. The supply and demand situations for radish, lettuce, spinach, and cucumbers are expected to stabilize in the coming months.

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, initial quantity of 16 tons ‘Import = plummeting prices at production sites’ continues Cold response from farmers Voices for expansion of support for highland industries The government has decided to import Chinese cabbage for the fifth time following 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2022. The reason is to stabilize the supply and demand of cabbage, which has decreased in supply due to poor summer harvests. However, it seems that it will be unavoidable to avoid criticism from the field regarding the part of pulling out the ‘import’ card, which inevitably affects production sites, whenever a supply and demand issue arises. On September 24, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced in a briefing that it would pursue measures to stabilize the supply and demand of major horticultural agricultural products, including cabbage and radish, that have suffered poor harvests and strong prices due to summer heat waves, droughts, and ...