Thirty delicious items that will save exports

The Korean government has designated 30 foods thought to have the potential to capture foreigners’ taste buds and help increase overseas sales as prime export products.
The project is aimed at increasing the incomes of Korean farmers.
The Agriculture Ministry said yesterday that it had formed a task force to promote the items, with a target of increasing export volume from last year’s $4.7 million to $90 million by 2013. The foods range from kimchi to ginseng, pears, rice, pork, melons, strawberries, tomatoes and mushrooms, plus traditional processed products, including bean and pepper paste.
Despite a deteriorating climate for exports because of the won’s sharp appreciation against major currencies and high oil prices, Korean food products have displayed improved sales in international markets, said the ministry. Exports during the initial five months of this year were 7.6 percent higher than a year earlier.
Korean peppers sell especially well in Japan, posting export growth to that nation of 8.2 percent. Pears saw a 31.3 percent jump during the five-month period, compared with the previous year. Exports of kimchi leapt as much as 36 percent to the United States and 67.6 percent to Hong Kong over the same time span. The ministry is currently developing standards for ranking kimchi’s spiciness to facilitate its export growth.
With farm goods’ export volume to Japan sliding by 3.3 percent year on year due largely to the weakened yen, exports to Taiwan advanced 16.2 percent and 14.8 percent to China, including Hong Kong.

By Seo Ji-eun Staff Writer [spring@joongang.co.kr]