The Gyeonggi-do government announced this year’s plan to export US$200 million worth of agricultural goods by providing individually tailored agricultural goods to overseas customers.

Despite the drop in exchange rate, high oil price, tainted food such as parasite egged-food and etc., the export has increased by 20% recording US$174 million compared to last year.

This provincial district has made an aggressive plan targeting the global market using the tailored agricultural operation which will give a great strength in the agricultural industry, and also will aid in exporting high quality and perfectly safe agricultural goods to the world.

Grape production, which was considered to be a worry since the FTA has been entered in 2003, has now become a great success of Hwaseong with its superior taste and fragrance. Hwaseong City, knowing the great competitiveness of their homemade grape, has formed their own ‘Grape Export Committee’ and built a production base with 16ha sized house, 40 blocks of low temp storage, and 44ha sized rain-protection unit for a greater quality production. With this utmost effort, last year overseas sales to US, Southeast Asia and other countries totaled approx. 150t, also for this year, they are expecting to have more than a 200t increase in export which will be supported by local province with KRW90 million of investment for 7.5ha.

Gyeonggi province plans to open exhibitions on their food and agriculture at ISETAN Department store in Malaysia from May 26 to June 13 for 19 days. Also, from May 28 to June 01, to woo any potential demands in the global market to our home turf, specialized consultants from 9 different companies will be sent to Moscow.

Also for a continuous search for overseas demand, KRW1.49 billion is slated for an investment to open 22 international food fairs, 7 times of overseas promotional events, and to dispatch market research delegations to overseas for twice and etc.

Thru the implementation of their strategies to develop better products that suit with overseas customer’s peculiar taste, Gyeonggi’s agricultural goods already drilled their way into the French markets as they signed a MOU on Jan. 20 last year with mega-retailer Carrefour. Keep knocking on the doors of Europe staring from this market, the export to Europe has reached to 400t just by exporting vegetables and fruits of Europeans preferred.

Especially in France and Spain, the pears from Gyeonggi are very famous with their greater taste and quality compared to the ones of their home country made, allowing Gyeonggi’s pear to have a price of twice higher that is 2.5~2.85EURO (KRW3,000 ~ 3,500) per kg.

Gyeonggi province with its projection of 600t exports for this year said it plans to pump KRW600 million to build a new production plant of 30.5ha for high quality vegetables and fruits of European specially preferred.

Other various plans with new items for overseas market such as selling grafted cactus thru the network of Carrefour are also slated for more aggressive actions to the overseas market.

Efforts to achieve the export target of US$200 million will be continued this year, such as receiving and solving the issues and/or difficulties thru Export Council regarding an export operation, for instance, exchange rate drop, oil price raise and etc. Also, the local province will stay in collaboration with many governmental organizations related with an export business such as Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Organization, KOTRA and etc. and also with other external and internal organizations of the world.

As the safety of food is the most crucial prerequisite for customer, Gyeonggi province said it will put in more investment for the local farmhouse and producers to acquire official approvals from US FDA, ISO, GOST, and etc.