Price Surge in Napa Cabbage and Lettuce During Monsoon Season... Government Steps Up Growth Management

Meeting to Review Agricultural Food Supply and Growth Conditions

As the rainy season begins, prices of certain items such as cabbage, lettuce, spinach, and cucumber are on the rise. The government plans to implement thorough growth management measures to prepare for potential additional supply and demand instability due to weather conditions such as continued rain and heatwaves.

On the 11th, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced that it held a 'Meeting to Check Agricultural Food Supply and Growth Status' at the Government Complex Sejong, chaired by Vice Minister Park Beom-su.

Vice Minister Park, who chaired the meeting for the first time since his appointment, expressed concern, saying, "During the rainy season, when prices rise due to delayed growth and difficulties in work, prices of certain items such as cabbage, lettuce, spinach, and cucumber are showing an upward trend. There is a risk of supply instability due to weather conditions such as continued rain and heatwaves."

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, consumer prices from July 1 to 9 increased by 45.8% for spinach, 35.3% for cucumber, 29.1% for lettuce, and 17.9% for cabbage compared to the previous month.

Vice Minister Park explained, "Vegetables are characterized by significant production fluctuations depending on temperature and sunlight, so growth management during the rainy season is very important. For facility-grown vegetables, we plan to promptly support recovery in areas affected by disasters such as flooding and assist in replanting to minimize supply impact."

Due to the influence of the stationary front, heavy rain has fallen since the 9th, causing damage to approximately 9,500 hectares of crops, 88 hectares of farmland lost or buried, 21 hectares of livestock sheds flooded, and 339,000 livestock deaths. By item, facility-grown vegetables such as ▲pepper 224.18 hectares ▲lettuce 9.6 hectares ▲perilla leaves 4.5 hectares suffered damage.

Vice Minister Park Beom-su stated, "To prepare measures for crop damage caused by heavy rain, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs held a countermeasure meeting chaired by Minister Song Mi-ryeong the day before, dispatched executives to the field, and took early emergency recovery measures such as draining flooded farmland to minimize secondary and tertiary damage. After the rain stops, we plan to strengthen growth management through a growth management consultative body to prevent pest and disease damage such as anthracnose and fire blight, and provide active support through the Rural Development Administration, NongHyup, and local governments."

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