Vegetable prices soar in Korea on heavy rains, heatwaves

[Photo by Yonhap]

Prices of home-grown vegetables continues to rise in South Korea, although the rainy season ended a week ago, as yields of some agricultural products have taken a hit and flooded areas in many farms take time for recovery due to a longer-than-normal rainy season and record-breaking heavy rains. The heatwave that followed the rainy season poses another challenge. The prices of vegetables that are consumed daily, such as lettuce and zucchini, have marched to new heights, adding to the already high food costs.

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. on Tuesday, the consumer price of spinach per 100 grams was 2,153 won ($1.67) on Monday, up 132 percent from 928 won a month ago. The price has jumped 2.3 times in a month. It is 8.9 percent higher than 1,977 won a week ago and nearly twice as high as the usual average of July 31 every year, which is 1,143 won. The price of lettuce per 100 grams has also surged 131 percent to 2,479 won from 1,071 won a month earlier.

The price of winter cabbage rose 89 percent to 4,832 won per kilogram from 2,552 won during the same period, and zucchini rose 77 percent to 2,177 won from 1,228 won.

The price of young radish also jumped 70 percent to 4,712 won per kilogram from 2,767 won. All of these vegetables are well above normal prices.

Cucumbers sold by 10 per pack, which cost less than 10,000 won a month ago, jumped 43 percent to 13,788 won on Monday. These items are still in short supply, even at large supermarkets.

“The flood damage has not been fully recovered in Chungcheong Province, one of the main producers of spinach and lettuce, so the overall market price is still higher than the previous year,” said an official from Lotte Mart.

In Oksan, North Chungcheong Province, a secondary producer of zucchini after Gangwon Province, shipments have not recovered from heavy rains and a long rainy season has damaged product quality.

Fruits and vegetables such as cucumbers and zucchini have seen their prices increase as shipments are declining on extreme heatwaves that began after the end of the rainy season.

“Even in areas where the harvest has not fallen that much, many products show poor quality due to heavy rains and heat and quality products seem to have been reduced by 20 to 30 percent from the previous year,” said an official from another hypermarket.

In particular, the prices of lettuce, sesame leaves, and cucumbers, which are in high demand during the holiday season, are expected to continue to rise as supply cannot keep up with demand.