Global Interest in Health and Fermented Food 'Kimchi' Amid COVID-19...Exports Jump 40%

Agricultural Food Exports from January to August Reach $4.84567 Billion, Up 4.9% YoY
Strong Export Performance Despite COVID-19 Due to Enhanced Customized Non-Face-to-Face Marketing

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Despite the economic downturn caused by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), South Korea's agricultural and food exports increased by nearly 5% compared to last year, surpassing 5.7 trillion won through various non-face-to-face marketing efforts. In particular, kimchi exports, which have attracted global attention as a health and fermented food, jumped more than 40%, and exports of instant foods such as ramen approached 500 billion won.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced that the cumulative agricultural and food export amount from January to August this year (provisional) recorded $4.84567 billion (approximately 5.7576 trillion won), a 4.9% increase compared to the same period last year. By item, kimchi ($9.79 million) surged 40.3%, ramen $405.4 million (36.7%), sauces $209 million (24.2%), and chicken $50.2 million (24.2%) also saw significant export growth.

The increase in kimchi exports is attributed to the rising interest in health and fermented foods due to COVID-19 and actively targeting new demand groups such as vegan kimchi. Exports to the United States increased by 69.1%, while exports to Australia and Japan surged by 76.4% and 29.3%, respectively. For ramen, its popularity as a long-term storage and convenient home meal led to significant increases in major export destinations such as the United States (56.7%), Japan (48.9%), and China (44.9%). The cumulative ramen export amount this year accounts for 8.4% of total exports, playing a leading role in export growth.

The increase in sauce exports is linked to the rise in consumption of fermented sauces (such as gochujang) used in home cooking, as well as the popularity of instant rice and tteokbokki. The growth in chicken exports is due to seasonal demand, with health foods like simple samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) popular in Hong Kong and the United States, and chicken breast favored in Vietnam.

Kim Jong-gu, Food Industry Policy Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, "Despite the difficult export conditions caused by COVID-19, the favorable performance of agricultural and food exports is the result of selecting strategic items by country and actively promoting online non-face-to-face projects through cooperation between the private sector and government." He added, "We will strengthen export support for fresh fruits and vegetables such as grapes, pears, strawberries, and paprika, which are mainly shipped in the second half of the year, until the end of the year."

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