Series of Cancellations at the 'Insam Festival'... Emart Launches Campaign to Boost Fresh Ginseng Sales

Emart will promote sales to support ginseng farmers facing difficulties due to the cancellation of the 'Ginseng Festival' for two consecutive years. The photo shows washed ginseng products. (Photo by Emart)

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Emart will promote the sale of ginseng to help ginseng farmers who are struggling due to the cancellation of festivals for two consecutive years?last year because of African Swine Fever (ASF) and this year due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

From the 15th, Emart will sell one pack (250g) of domestic "Autumn Fresh Washed Ginseng," normally priced at 19,800 KRW, at a 20% discount for 15,840 KRW when purchased with a promotional card for one week. The "Autumn Fresh Washed Ginseng" is characterized by being thoroughly cleaned to make it easy to eat, as ginseng is usually difficult to wash.

Emart plans to promote ginseng sales through various weekly events until November, starting with the discounted sale of fresh ginseng.

The reason Emart is conducting this ginseng sales promotion is that normal ginseng festivals have become difficult to hold due to COVID-19. October is the peak season for ginseng harvest, and major ginseng-producing regions nationwide usually hold large-scale ginseng festivals in October to promote their products and begin full-scale sales.

However, this year, with the normal ginseng festivals impossible due to COVID-19, ginseng farmers are preparing self-help measures such as switching festivals online or selling through drive-thru services.

Gumsan and Punggi, representative domestic ginseng production areas, are holding ginseng festivals using their own YouTube channels, and in Paju, ginseng is being sold via drive-thru at a temporary parking lot in front of Imjingak Station. Emart plans to continue large-scale ginseng events until November to support these ginseng farmers.

This is not the first time ginseng festivals have been canceled. Last October, due to movement restrictions caused by African Swine Fever (ASF), major ginseng festivals such as the "Paju Gaeseong Ginseng Festival," "Ganghwa Goryeo Ginseng Festival," and "Icheon Ginseng Festival" were canceled one after another.

Emart held various ginseng events from October to November last year to help ginseng farmers struggling due to festival cancellations, resulting in a 94% increase in ginseng sales from October to November 2019 compared to the same period the previous year.

Byun Jaemin, Emart’s ginseng buyer, said, "Sales of ginseng at Emart during October and November account for 30-40% of the annual sales, making this period very important for ginseng farmers," adding, "We hope this event will be an opportunity to strengthen immunity during the seasonal change as well as to support struggling ginseng farmers."

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