Ramen, Frozen Gimbap, and More 'K-Food Plus' Exports Reach $10 Billion... "Record High Expected"

Exports reached $10.48 billion by the third week of November, up 1.2% from last year

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Thanks to strong exports of ramen and gimbap, the export value of 'K-Food Plus (K-Food+)', which includes agricultural food products and related industries such as intelligent farms (smart farms), has surpassed 10 billion dollars.

On the 23rd, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced that as of the third week of this month, the export value of K-Food Plus reached 10.48 billion dollars, marking a 1.2% increase compared to last year and continuing its upward trend.

In particular, agricultural food exports have maintained a continuous growth trend since turning positive compared to the previous year in the second week of September. By the third week of November, it recorded 7.91 billion dollars, a 1% increase from last year, putting this year on the verge of achieving a record high performance again.

An official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs stated, "This export achievement is highly significant as it was accomplished despite difficult external conditions such as the global economic slowdown. The Ministry launched the K-Food Plus Export Expansion Headquarters in January this year to industrialize exports of agricultural food and related industries and to expand exports. We are fully committed to discovering and connecting importers, market development, promotion and logistics support, close management of export companies, and weekly performance monitoring."

Looking at the items by category, processed foods such as ramen, snacks, beverages, and gimbap (rice processed foods), as well as fresh agricultural products like strawberries and kimchi, led the export expansion. In related industries, smart farms, seeds, and pesticides showed growth, contributing to the export increase.

Ramen recorded 840 million dollars by the third week of November, surpassing last year's record high of 770 million dollars and setting a new all-time high. Riding the wave of the K-content boom and the spread of social networks, Korean ramen has gained global popularity and continues to lead the growth in agricultural food exports this year, aiming to reach 1 billion dollars.

Rice processed foods such as gimbap have received great responses in the US, Europe, and other regions due to the global trend of healthy foods and convenience foods, exporting 190 million dollars worth by the third week of November, a 17.9% increase from last year. Recently, frozen gimbap launched in the US market has experienced sold-out phenomena in major retail stores, indicating significant market growth.

Fresh fruits such as strawberries, which are in season, have also started full-scale exports. Strawberries began exports to Southeast Asia in November and are expected to increase by more than 30% compared to last year. Yuzu, pears, and grapes are also maintaining growth. Thanks to efforts such as the development of new domestic varieties like Vitaberry, Highberry, and Kingsberry centered on export integrated organizations, and improvements in quality competitiveness, Korean fresh fruits are recognized overseas for their high quality and are exported to various countries including the US and Southeast Asia.

Exports of related industries also continued their upward trend, recording 2.56 billion dollars, a 2.0% increase from the previous year. In particular, smart farms saw export and order amounts triple compared to last year, reaching 260 million dollars, driven by successive summit diplomacy. The Ministry expects Middle East exports to expand further following the President's visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar in October. Pesticides, based on domestically developed herbicides, are expanding exports to the US, Australia, and other countries, recording 410 million dollars, about double the previous year.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to mobilize all available resources to ensure that K-Food Plus exports continue their growth trend and achieve record-high performance during the remaining period. Along with logistics support to reduce logistics costs for export companies, strategic promotions linked with export companies will maximize the effect of export expansion. The Ministry will also support market development through discovering and connecting importers and shifting to other markets, and strengthen close management of export companies.

Kwon Jae-han, Director of Agricultural Innovation Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "In a difficult situation where national exports are declining overall, the growth of K-Food Plus exports reflects the effective efforts of farmers and export companies. We will focus our policy capabilities and do our best until the very end to achieve record-breaking results in agricultural food and related industry exports."

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