South Gyeongsang Province seafood exports reach $156.18m in first half

South Gyeongsang Province's seafood exports jumped 19.8 percent in the first half of this year from the same period last year to $156.18 million, driven by strong sales of frozen fish — including pollock and mackerel — and oysters.

The provincial government announced Tuesday that first-half seafood exports totaled $156.18 million, up $25.83 million from $130.35 million in the same period last year. The figure represents 53.9 percent of the province's annual export target of $290 million. South Gyeongsang accounted for 8.1 percent of national seafood exports, ranking fourth nationwide behind Busan, Seoul and South Jeolla Province.

By product, oysters led all categories with $49.39 million in exports, accounting for 31.6 percent of the total.

Frozen fish posted sharp gains. Pollock exports jumped 525.1 percent year-on-year to $8.045 million, mackerel surged 214.5 percent to $13.668 million, and herring rose 183.3 percent to $10.018 million.

Fish cake and fish sausage exports grew 4.1 percent to $9.739 million. Seaweed exports, however, fell 6.7 percent to $19.613 million. Processed seafood products — including meal-kit and home meal replacement items — made up 27.7 percent of total exports.

Japan, China and the United States together accounted for 70.1 percent of total exports. Exports to Japan climbed 37.7 percent year-on-year to $52.311 million, boosted by rising demand for frozen and canned oysters following mass oyster die-offs in the country.

West African markets also showed strong momentum. Exports to Ghana jumped 210.8 percent year-on-year to $5.611 million, while those to Côte d'Ivoire rose 44.6 percent to $4.063 million and Vietnam grew 29.1 percent to $4.343 million.

"The first-half results reflect our proactive response to rising input costs and shifts in global supply chains," said Lee Sang-hun, director of the province's marine and fisheries bureau. "We will continue expanding overseas marketing and global retail networks in the second half to sustain the growth momentum in seafood exports."