Lee Eokwon, Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance, On-Site Inspection of Chuseok Seasonal Goods Including Apples: "169,000 Tons Supplied Over 3 Weeks"

Chungnam Yesan Neunggeum Nonghyup Distribution Center Visits 5-Day Market

Lee Eok-won, First Vice Minister of Strategy and Finance (wearing black clothes), visited the Yesan Apple Agricultural Cooperative Distribution Center in Chungcheongnam-do on the 15th, touring the sorting facility and listening to officials' explanations about the supply and demand situation of Chuseok seasonal products such as apples. (Photo by Ministry of Strategy and Finance)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Ministry of Economy and Finance announced that First Vice Minister Lee Eokwon conducted an on-site inspection of the supply and demand trends of seasonal goods on the morning of the 15th ahead of the Chuseok holiday. This came right after Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Hong Namgi checked 16 seasonal items including apples and rice prices the day before.

On the morning of the same day, Vice Minister Lee visited the Neunggeum Agricultural Cooperative and the 5-day market at the Agricultural Products Distribution Center located in Yesan County, Chungcheongnam-do, to examine the supply status of seasonal goods.

First, at the center, he checked this year's apple crop and the supply status of apples during the Chuseok peak season together with local agricultural cooperatives and local governments. Vice Minister Lee explained, "This year, the apple cultivation area has expanded compared to the previous year, leading to a stable increase in production volume. The quantity of seasonal goods supplied by the government has also doubled compared to last year, maintaining price stability."

According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, apple production, which was 422,000 tons last year, is expected to increase by 12.5% to 475,000 tons this year. The supply volume of apples as seasonal goods is also expected to double from 7,000 tons last year to 14,000 tons this year. As of the 14th, 13,000 tons have been supplied. The price of apples dropped by 11.9%, from 29,715 KRW for 10 Hongro apples on the 14th last year to 26,721 KRW on the 14th this year.

Vice Minister Lee expressed gratitude to the agricultural cooperatives and related personnel who have stably supplied apples, a fruit preferred by the public, despite difficult conditions such as COVID-19, and urged, "Please do your best to maximize the supply volume until Chuseok."

At the 5-day market, he checked the sales status of seasonal goods for Chuseok and encouraged merchants by purchasing apples and beef. Vice Minister Lee explained that to stabilize prices, the supply of the 16 major seasonal goods for Chuseok started one week earlier than last year, from three weeks before Chuseok (August 30), and the supply volume was increased by 1.4 times compared to normal times. Last year, during the COVID-19 crisis, the supply was increased by 1.3 times compared to the average year.

The supply performance of seasonal goods from August 30 to the 14th was 169,000 tons, exceeding the initial plan of 150,000 tons. The achievement rate was 112.4%. Vice Minister Lee stated, "Since Chuseok prices are directly related to the livelihood of ordinary people, we will continue to monitor and carefully manage the joint supply of seasonal goods by related ministries until Chuseok to ensure smooth implementation."

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