South Korea's imports of 12 fresh fruits (including bananas, mangoes, pineapples, oranges, cherries and kiwis) totaled $1.45 billion in 2024, up 20.1% year-on-year.
South Korea's fresh fruit imports hit a record high in 2024, data released today showed, due to declining production due to climate change and growing demand.
According to data compiled by the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI), the country's imports of 12 types of fresh fruits (including bananas, mangoes, pineapples, oranges, cherries, and kiwis) reached a total value of $1.45 billion in 2024, up 20.1% from the previous year.
This is the largest figure ever, surpassing the record of 2018, when imported fruit volume reached 1.33 billion USD.
The increase in fruit imports was due to the country experiencing a supply shortage due to crop failure, amid unfavorable weather conditions leading to high fruit prices.
The South Korean government has also reduced import tariffs on fruits to meet growing demand and curb inflation.
"Fruit imports are expected to continue to increase, as domestic production will tend to decline in the long term due to weather conditions and a continuous decrease in cultivated area," said a KREI official.
In a latest report, the institute forecast total fruit imports, including frozen fruit, to increase 6.8 percent year-on-year to 817,000 tons this year./.
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