Increasing K-Food Exports and Reducing Distribution Costs... Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs "Fully Committed to On-Site, Experience-Based Policies"

Six Months of Agricultural Policy Achievements under the Lee Jaemyung Administration
K-Food Plus Exports Reach All-Time High; Online Wholesale Market Transactions Surpass 1.1116 Trillion Won
Full-Scale Implementation of National Policy Tasks Includi

Exports of 'K-Food Plus (+)', which encompasses the agri-food sector and related upstream and downstream industries, are on track to reach an all-time high. The 'Online Wholesale Market for Agricultural and Marine Products', which directly connects farms with consumers, has also reached a transaction volume of 1.1116 trillion won, contributing to the stabilization of agricultural and marine product prices. The government plans to actively promote on-site, experience-based policies that citizens can feel directly, while also accelerating the implementation of national policy tasks under the Lee Jaemyung administration, such as basic income for rural areas and agrivoltaics.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced the 'Current Status and Future Plans of Major Policy Initiatives' for the first six months of the Citizen Sovereignty Government during a briefing at the Government Complex Sejong on December 3.

Kim Jeongju, Policy Planning Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, is briefing on the current status of major policy initiatives and future plans of the Ministry at the Government Complex Sejong on the 3rd. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Kim Jeongju, Policy Planning Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, "Over the past six months since the launch of the new administration, the Ministry has been working tirelessly to deliver tangible changes on the ground, while also addressing structural issues in agriculture and rural areas such as chronic rice oversupply and rural aging, and to create a hopeful future for the sector. To this end, the Ministry is identifying and improving on-site, experience-based policy tasks. Through both online and offline channels, as well as active engagement by the Minister and Vice Minister, we are widely collecting feedback from farmers and other policy stakeholders and swiftly reflecting it in our policies."

◆ Promoting On-Site, Experience-Based Policies through Bold Innovation and Breaking with Old Practices = First, the Ministry is stably managing rice prices during the 2025 harvest season through government rice supply on a rental basis and decisive market isolation measures. Despite challenging conditions such as large-scale wildfires and heavy summer rains, the Ministry has implemented supply and demand measures such as expanding supply and supporting discounts during peak demand seasons for agricultural and livestock products, including Chuseok and kimchi-making season. As a result, the cost of Chuseok holiday meals and kimchi-making were kept 1.8% and 5.6% lower, respectively, compared to the previous year.

To promote public delivery apps with relatively low fees and stabilize dining-out prices, the Ministry provided consumer coupons, helping food service businesses reduce intermediary fees by 35.1 billion won and revitalize the dining-out market, thereby contributing to the business stability of food service companies. To break the vicious cycle of rising food costs and declining rice consumption, the '1,000-Won Breakfast' program for university students has been extended to workers in industrial complexes since October.

◆ Fostering Agriculture as a National Strategic Industry = The Ministry, after thorough discussions with the National Assembly and producer organizations, amended the 'Grain Management Act' and the 'Act on Distribution and Price Stabilization of Agricultural and Marine Products' in August this year. These amendments institutionalized proactive supply and demand management and established response policies for emergencies, resolving long-standing conflicts.

As of the end of November, K-Food Plus exports reached a record high of 12.34 billion dollars (9.46 billion dollars in food products and 2.87 billion dollars in related industries). Ramen exports alone reached 1.4 billion dollars by the end of November, thanks to entry into major retail chains and active promotion and marketing. In particular, leveraging the '2025 APEC Summit', exports of domestically produced 'Shinseon-gam' to China resumed for the first time in 17 years, and quarantine negotiations for the export of 'Jeju beef and pork' to Singapore were successfully concluded. As a result, on December 1, 4.5 tons of Jeju beef and pork were exported to Singapore for the first time.

To mitigate price volatility of core items like cabbage and apples by 50% and reduce distribution costs by 10%, the Ministry established the 'Plan to Improve the Agricultural Product Distribution Structure' on September 15. The online wholesale market achieved a cumulative transaction volume of 1.1116 trillion won as of the end of November, driving innovation in the distribution structure. In addition, the Ministry improved the producer organization-led system for investigating and announcing egg prices, thereby establishing a transparent price determination system.

◆ Accelerating the Implementation of New Government Policy Tasks = The government has introduced basic income as a practical policy tool to help residents in regions at risk of extinction maintain their basic livelihoods, selecting 10 target locations. A budget of 234.1 billion won will be allocated next year to provide local gift certificates worth 150,000 won per month to residents in these areas for two years.

To minimize farmland encroachment while expanding renewable energy and increasing farm income, the Ministry is also promoting the introduction of agrivoltaics. Installation will be permitted in clustered farmland (agricultural promotion areas) centered on planned sites such as renewable energy zones, and efforts will be made to activate the sector by expanding the duration of farmland use and the range of eligible business entities.

To achieve early, tangible results, the Ministry plans to prepare measures within the year for nurturing young agricultural talent, improving the distribution structure of livestock products, introducing agrivoltaics, and basic plans for supporting agricultural employment. In the future, the Ministry will also thoroughly implement policy tasks such as preparing subordinate regulations following amendments to the four major agricultural laws, supporting lunch meals for office workers, integrating artificial intelligence transformation (AX) into agriculture and rural areas, and enacting the Animal Welfare Basic Act.

Minister Song Miryung stated, "Over the past six months, we have worked to create 'agriculture and rural communities that realize hope.' While we have achieved some results, there is still much to be done. We will swiftly complete the tasks planned for this year and incorporate necessary improvements into next year's plans, so that people can feel the changes of the Citizen Sovereignty Government on the ground and we can bring new vitality to agriculture and rural communities."

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