Government imports 53 tons of MB filters from abroad... "Enough to produce 53 million masks"

Ministry of Trade and KOTRA Sign Import Contracts for MB Filters with Two Overseas Companies in Two Countries

On the 15th, when the five-day rotation system for public masks was in effect, citizens lined up in front of a pharmacy in Mapo-gu, Seoul to purchase masks. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The government will import 53 tons of melt-blown (MB filter), a key raw material for masks, from two overseas countries. This will ease the supply of masks, which has surged in demand due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 20th that it has signed a contract to import 53 tons of MB filters from overseas to stabilize mask supply.

The confirmed quantity to be introduced is 53 tons contracted with two companies in two countries, and it is scheduled to be introduced sequentially until June, starting with 2.5 tons next week.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) visited or conducted phone surveys with 113 nonwoven fabric manufacturers in 33 countries since early last month. This was to find MB filters that meet the KF (Korea Filter) standard specifications and the specifications of our mask manufacturers.

As a result, the Ministry and KOTRA succeeded in obtaining samples of 28 types of MB filters from 9 countries, but only 3 of these samples passed the KF mask performance evaluation.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy made efforts to import MB filters that passed the performance evaluation as quickly as possible, considering that countries worldwide are sensitive about exporting their own masks and raw materials due to the spread of COVID-19.

They actively utilized the global networks of leading domestic companies such as Samsung Electronics and Samsung C&T Corporation, and the Public Procurement Service also demonstrated teamwork by shortening the contract period (from 40 days to 5 days).

An official from the Ministry said, "The 53 tons of MB filters can produce up to 53 million masks," adding, "Negotiations for additional imports with one or two overseas companies are in the final stages, so the import volume is expected to increase."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.