Chang-Rak Farms, one of the leading agricultural exporters in South Korea, has had a good persimmon production this year, similar to last season’s in terms of volume. Although according to President Young-Ho Na, they have also suffered the consequences of competition from China in South East Asia, who are copying the packaging and selling the persimmon at a very cheap price in countries like Singapore, Malaysia or Thailand.
To address this, Na has reported the issue to aT Korea Agro - Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT Corp) and contacted his customers to explain the difference between Chinese and Korean persimmons.
For South Korea as a whole, the persimmon campaign kicked off on 10 October, and while things have been OK for Chang-Rak Farms, with better quality fruit and an expansion of the sorting area, exports for other companies have been really slow, forcing them to focus on the domestic market. “Since, we haven’t been able to compete with the Chinese in terms of prices,” states Mr Na.
Regarding the fruit itself, he explains that, as a result of this year’s weather conditions, sizes are mostly large and medium and the total production volume will be similar from last year. However, exports will decrease. “We are now waiting for the Chinese persimmon season to finish, and after December we’ll still continue for at least another month, shipping to both wholesalers and directly to supermarkets.”
For more information:
Mr. Young-ho Na
ChangRak Farms
Tel: +82555323228
Mob: +821092673228
nayoungho@gmail.com
www.chnagrakfarms.kr