Gov't to import napa cabbage in bid to mitigate price fallout after extreme weather

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Gov't to import napa cabbage in bid to mitigate price fallout after extreme weather

Published: 25 Sep. 2024, 06:00

A bundle of three heads of napa cabbage is priced at 49,800 won ($37.30) at a supermarket. [YONHAP]

The government has announced plans to import napa cabbage from China to stabilize domestic supply and mitigate price hikes of the kimchi staple to brace for the upcoming kimjang (kimchi-making) season.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced some initiatives to address a potential shortage of napa cabbage in a press release on Monday. As part of these efforts, the ministry will begin importing napa cabbage from China and distributing it to wholesale and retail markets starting with Garak Market, a major wholesale agricultural market in Seoul, on Sept. 27. The ministry will also stockpile as much domestically produced cabbage as possible in preparation for the kimchi-making season.

The Agriculture Ministry said it made the decision in response to concerns about a potential domestic supply shortage due to extreme weather conditions. Domestic napa cabbage farms were significantly impacted by a prolonged heat wave from July to early September, followed by heavy rainfall nationwide that lasted for several days from Sept. 19.

Due to such damage, napa cabbage prices skyrocketed, with some markets selling a single head for over 20,000 won ($15) after the Chuseok harvest festival season. The average retail price reached 9,337 won on Sept. 19, breaking the record this year to jump 69.4 percent compared to the previous year, according to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation.

A farmer waters cabbage crops. [JOONGANG ILBO]

"Due to the prolonged heat waves, we couldn't harvest as much as in previous years," a farmer surnamed Han told the Korea JoongAng Daily. "Cabbage and spinach dried up, while peppers and onions were decimated by pests. The only effective countermeasure against severe heat waves is to provide ample water to crops, but that's extremely costly."

Han continued, "Given these circumstances, it's unavoidable that we'll see lower-quality vegetables and higher prices."

The Agriculture Ministry said it will “pull out all the stops” to tackle the issue. The government plans to secure a stable supply of available resources and flexibly distribute the inventory to the market according to the situation in producing regions. It will also gradually purchase domestic cabbage during periods of high shipments and will also import fresh cabbage to bolster supply during shortages.

With the heavy rainfall submerging some horticultural products such as cabbage and lettuce that may ultimately remain harvestable after the water recedes, the government plans to develop customized supply and demand measures for each item as soon as the exact extent of the damage is assessed.

“We expect that imported cabbage will fill the demand for processed foods and restaurants, which will create a surplus in the amount needed for general households and lead to a decrease in prices,” said a spokesperson for the Agriculture Ministry.

BY KIM KI-HWAN, YOON SEUNG-JIN [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]