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Gov't adamant against importing apples, pears despite surging fruit prices

Published: 08 Mar. 2024, 18:25 Updated: 08 Mar. 2024, 18:28

SEO JI-EUN
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A customer selects apples at a supermarket in downtown Seoul. [YONHAP]

The government has reiterated its opposition to easing import regulations for apples and pears over concerns about the spread of pests despite continuing price jumps.

The pronouncement comes despite a surge in the average prices of fresh fruits, including apples, mandarins and pears, by 41.2 percent last month compared to the same period last year, according to Statistics Korea on Friday, the highest increase in 32 years and five months since September 1991.

Decreased apple production due to abnormal weather conditions like heavy rainfall and heat waves last year have led to a 71 percent spike in prices compared to last February. Similarly, tangerine prices rose by 78.1 percent, and pear prices by 61.1 percent.

Korea's inflation accelerates to 3.1% in February

These skyrocketing fruit prices have played a pivotal role in driving overall inflation, contributing 0.57 percentage points to the consumer price index in February. The figure translates to fruit prices accounting for roughly one-fifth of the increase in the inflation rate to 3.1 percent.

"Comparing the contribution rates of items to inflation across different periods is challenging due to the varying weighting of scales," explained an official from Statistics Korea to the Korea JoongAng Daily. "However, February's month's fruit contribution to the consumer price index is relatively high compared to January's figure of 0.4 percent from the overall consumer price index of 2.8 percent."

Yet options to stabilize fruit prices are limited as apples and pears, susceptible to pests, remain designated as prohibited imports due to phytosanitary and quarantine policies.

The government stressed that there are no plans to relax import regulations for the two fruits amid concerns about pests.

"Importing apples won't immediately address high prices resulting from last year's poor harvest," said Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-ryung after holding an urgent press conference on Thursday.

"Negotiations for apple imports are being held with 11 countries, requiring eight stages, with Japan being the most advanced at stage five," Song said.

According to the agriculture and food ministry, Japan requested that apple exports to Korea be permitted in 1992, with an import risk analysis conducted from 2010 to 2015 before being halted indefinitely. Talks with Germany and New Zealand, meanwhile, are at stage three, and negotiations with the United States are at stage two.

To address the shortage of domestically supplied fruits like apples and pears, the government plans to expand discount support for fruits and increase the range of imported fruits subject to tariffs. They said they will push for direct imports of oranges and bananas through the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation and maintain a steady supply of "ugly" fruits, or irregularly shaped fruits, until the fresh fruit harvest comes in.

BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]