South Korea's fruit imports to hit record high in 2024

South Korea's imports of 12 fresh fruits (including bananas, mangoes, pineapples, oranges, cherries and kiwis) totaled US$1.45 billion in 2024, up 20.1% year-on-year.

South Korea's fresh fruit imports are set to hit a record high in 2024, due to declining production due to climate change and growing demand, newly released data shows.

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 USD 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 areas," a KREI official said.

In a latest report, the institute projected that total fruit imports, including frozen fruits, would increase 6.8 percent year-on-year to 817,000 tonnes this year./.

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