The "kimchi crisis" in South Korea has come, kimchi is an indispensable landmark food on the Korean table. But now nearly half of South Korea's kimchi producers are closed, and the price of Chinese cabbage has soared, rising nearly 50% in a month. So what's the reason? Has the price of cabbage gone up? Here is a brief introduction.
Why Nearly Half of South Korean Kimchi Producers Are Closed
Every November is the time for Koreans to make kimchi. This year's kimchi production season is approaching, but due to extreme weather and other impacts, the price of raw materials for kimchi, such as cabbage and white radish, has risen, and South Korean people are worried about the shortage of kimchi. A study by Korean Rating and Data Corporation shows that in recent years, affected by market competition pressure and the continuous reduction of cabbage production, nearly half of South Korea's more than 1000 pickle producers were temporarily or even permanently closed last year due to poor performance.
To this end, the Korean government has decided to establish a large-scale cabbage storage park to help small and medium-sized pickle enterprises solve the problem of insufficient production and storage space.
Has the price of cabbage gone up
According to a report on the website of the Washington Post on the 22nd, Taibai is located in the high mountain area of South Korea, and the climate is usually cool, so it is the production center of Chinese cabbage in summer, and Chinese cabbage is an essential ingredient of spicy kimchi for South Koreans.
But this year, due to the extreme high temperature and rainfall in summer, a large number of Chinese cabbage in the field wilted and deformed. According to local authorities' estimates, Taibai's total harvest is only two thirds of that in normal years.
Reported that, as a result, South Korean gourmets have felt the impact of the pickle crisis. The Korean Agricultural, Aquatic and Food Circulation Commune said that the consumption price of Chinese cabbage this month soared to $7.81 per head, while the average annual price was about $4.17.
For Song Yujing, a 56 year old housewife in Seoul, making kimchi is an important family activity. She said, "I have no choice but to buy Chinese cabbage at a high price." A survey conducted by the Korea Rural Economic Research Institute in 2020 showed that South Koreans eat this spicy dish on average seven times a week.
The shortage of Chinese cabbage not only affects home made pickles, but also puts pressure on commercially produced pickles.
It is reported that South Korea Elephant Group is the largest kimchi producer in South Korea. A spokesman for the company said that due to rising costs, the company was forced to raise prices by 10% from next month. In the company's online shop, the most popular Chinese cabbage pickle has been out of stock for a month.
According to the report, the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture blamed the situation on the "bad weather" in the Gangwon Highland and promised to take "all possible measures", including imports, to stabilize prices.
