Lettuce and Other Vegetable Prices Soar Due to Heavy Rain... "Stabilization Expected No Earlier Than September" (Update)

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs: Trends and Outlook on Major Agricultural and Livestock Product Supply and Demand
Request for Cooperation from Distributors to Stabilize Vegetable Prices
Promotion of Supply Expansion through Stockpiling, Contract Farming, and Imports

Prices of facility-grown vegetables, including lettuce, surged due to heavy rains. In the case of lettuce, many areas became impossible to ship due to flooding damage to facilities in major shipping regions, and the price is expected to remain strong until early next month when new seedlings are planted and these quantities are shipped. There are concerns that the instability in agricultural product prices could stimulate inflation, which has maintained a rise rate of over 2% for two consecutive months.

According to Statistics Korea on the 2nd, the consumer price index for agricultural products in July rose 4.7% compared to the previous month. In particular, vegetables, which suffered significant damage from the heavy rain, led the rise in agricultural product prices with an increase of 7.1%.

Prices of facility-grown vegetables severely affected by the heavy rain rose sharply. Compared to the previous month, lettuce jumped 83.3%. Spinach (66.9%), cucumber (23.2%), tomato (10.2%), green onion (9.7%), young radish leaves (55.3%), and napa cabbage (6.1%) also increased.

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, the average retail price of red leaf lettuce per 100g is currently 2,475 won, up 1,401 won (130.4%) from one month ago. Spinach (100g) also rose from 930 won to 2,145 won during the same period, an increase of 1,215 won (130.6%). The price of young radish leaves (1kg), which was 2,839 won, rose to 4,775 won, and the price of watermelon (1 piece) increased from 20,421 won to 24,726 won.

Lettuce suffered flooding damage to facilities in major shipping areas such as Nonsan and Iksan, resulting in many areas where shipment is impossible. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, as of the 31st of last month, lettuce cultivation facilities covering 4,707,000 square meters were damaged. The ministry expects lettuce supply to stabilize only after September, as it takes 30 days after properly transplanting seedlings grown in greenhouses to the fields before shipment is possible. Even if affected farmers plant immediately, the corresponding quantities will only be supplied to the market in September.

The heatwave continuing after the rainy season is an important variable for facility-grown vegetable production. During high temperatures, crop respiration intensifies and photosynthesis decreases, leading to poor growth. Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can cause irreversible damage to crops. In such cases, the timing for price stabilization may be further delayed.

Last month, livestock product prices fell 1.6% compared to the previous month, maintaining stability. Chicken prices remain high due to demand for nutritious summer dishes. However, after Jungbok (July 21), demand decreased, and wholesale prices turned downward. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs expects prices to gradually stabilize as supply increases through expanded stocking by affiliated companies.

Kim Jong-gu, Director of Distribution and Consumer Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "Although prices of some facility-grown vegetables such as lettuce are strong due to heavy rains, prices are gradually stabilizing as supply conditions improve. We hope that large retailers and the distribution industry will refrain from excessive price hikes and make efforts to stabilize prices through their own discount events." He added, "The ministry will closely monitor supply and demand trends daily in response to adverse weather such as heatwaves, expand supply through stockpiling, contract farming, and import measures, and continue to support discounts to alleviate consumer burdens, making every effort to stabilize summer grocery prices."

On the 2nd, customers shopping at Hanaro Mart Yangjae Branch in Seocho-gu, Seoul, where vegetable prices are rising due to recent heavy rains flooding the cultivation areas followed by a heatwave. Photo by Jin-Hyung Kang aymsdream@

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