Bumper cabbage, radish harvest drives prices down; government pushes kimchi exports to help farmers

The government has launched a push to expand exports of kimchi and fresh cabbage and radishes, aiming to support farmers hit by falling prices following a bumper harvest of both crops. It plans to supply kimchi exporters with government-stockpiled cabbage at a discount and increase overseas promotional funding — steps designed to generate new foreign demand and ease the price pressure on domestic producers.

South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs held an emergency meeting Friday at Government Complex Sejong with kimchi industry representatives and integrated export organizations for cabbage and radishes to discuss ways to boost year-end exports.

The meeting was called in response to growing hardship among farmers as rising output has pushed prices lower. The ministry said it sees an urgent need to expand both domestic consumption and overseas demand through exports, and worked with industry participants to draw up a response plan.

As a first step, the government will supply stockpiled cabbage at a discount to reduce raw-material costs for kimchi exporters. The ministry plans to assess each company's additional year-end export volumes and ingredient needs, then match them with available stockpiles to help lower procurement costs and drive up kimchi shipments.

Support for overseas promotion and marketing will also be expanded. Kimchi exporters using government-stockpiled cabbage, as well as member companies of the integrated fresh cabbage and radish export organizations, will be eligible for additional assistance including export vouchers.

Recipient companies can use the funds for activities such as finding overseas buyers, running promotional events and conducting local marketing campaigns. The ministry said it will concentrate available resources on year-end export activities.

The government will also work to open new overseas markets for fresh cabbage. It plans to connect farmers who want to export but have struggled to secure buyers with companies that have the capacity to handle exports, helping them break into markets such as Taiwan.

Support will extend to the administrative side as well. The ministry said it will strengthen on-site assistance to help farmers who have been unable to participate in exports due to pre-registration requirements, making it easier for them to enter overseas markets.

The ministry asked kimchi manufacturers and producer organizations to actively participate in efforts to boost domestic consumption of Korean agricultural products and expand exports.

Jeong Gyeong-seok, the ministry's director general for food industry policy, said that with cabbage and radish output rising, "it is a critical moment to expand domestic consumption while at the same time creating new demand through exports." Jeong added that "the government will mobilize every available tool — from supplying stockpiles and supporting marketing to strengthening the export foundation — to make an all-out push to increase year-end exports of kimchi, cabbage and radishes."

"We will continue to listen closely to voices from the field and take careful steps to ensure that the overseas expansion of our agricultural products translates into higher income for farmers," Jeong said.