Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Food Exports Overcome 'COVID Headwind'... $1.12692 Billion from January to September

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province's agricultural and food exports recorded $1.12692 billion in the first to third quarters of this year, showing a 13% increase compared to the same period last year ($997.64 million).

The province analyzed that despite the worsening export conditions due to COVID-19, the increase in exports of processed foods and ginseng led to the overall growth in export volume.

Looking at export performance by sector, processed foods such as snacks, ramen, and beverages grew 21% from $531.56 million in the same period last year to $642.36 million this year.

This was due to increased demand for processed foods like ramen ($48.37 million), bakery products ($43.05 million), and beverages ($35.21 million) as Korean dramas and variety shows gained popularity in the Chinese and ASEAN markets.

Forest products recorded $123.87 million, a 38% increase from $89.93 million the previous year, supported by strong exports of cardboard and plywood.

Fresh agricultural products showed mixed results: ginseng (24%), tomatoes (49%), and peaches (4%) increased, while rice (-97%), chrysanthemums (-55%), pears (-21%), and kimchi (-4%) decreased.

In particular, ginseng products were preferred as holiday gifts in the Chinese and ASEAN markets, with exports totaling $19.27 million to Japan ($6.93 million), Vietnam ($6.12 million), the United States ($2.05 million), China ($1.15 million), and Hong Kong ($680,000) through September. This represents a 24% increase from $15.57 million the previous year.

Tomatoes also saw a 50% increase to $2.76 million (915 tons), mainly exported to Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, compared to $1.85 million the previous year.

Other products included cactus exports up 60% to $1.9 million, pollock $1.56 million (226%), grapes $400,000 (6%), peaches $540,000 (7%), and pork $4.5 million (62%).

On the other hand, exports decreased for vegetable seeds ($25.06 million, -4%), kimchi ($4.36 million, -4%), pears ($2.24 million, -21%), seaweed ($78.62 million, -11%), and chicken ($10.56 million, -17%).

By country, China was the largest market with $240.75 million, followed by the United States ($229.38 million) and Japan ($103.1 million). Exports to Vietnam, Taiwan, and Singapore also increased, while exports to Hong Kong (-12%), the Netherlands (-14%), and Denmark (-53%) declined.

The province plans to focus on exports through about 10 overseas promotional events for excellent agricultural and food products such as pears, ginseng, kimchi, and Makgeolli in seven countries including the United States, Vietnam, and Taiwan during November and December. They will also hold online consultation meetings where overseas buyers, export farmers, and exporters can have one-on-one discussions until the end of the year.

A provincial official stated, "Although future export conditions are unfavorable due to global economic uncertainties caused by COVID-19, we will do our best to increase exports as we have achieved good results so far."

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