Sweetness with skin too, gulped down: Which is the No.1 grape export? Gyeongbuk Agricultural Research & Extension Services produces 'Shine Muscat' post-harvest management manual

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Which grape variety is so successful that it sweeps the export market? After the harvest of the export star "Shine Muscat," which accounts for 80% of overseas grape exports, a manual was produced in Gyeongbuk, the main grape-producing region.

The Gyeongsangbuk-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services announced on the 29th that it will produce and distribute the "Post-Harvest Quality Management Manual for Shine Muscat for Export" to enhance the export competitiveness of Shine Muscat.

The recently developed manual is a leaflet jointly created with the National Specialty Horticulture Science Institute, introducing appropriate management methods and precautions at each stage from harvest to storage, sorting, and export with photos to ensure high-quality grape exports.

It includes not only general storage methods but also long-term storage technologies accumulated through pilot projects, allowing farmers to select and utilize appropriate storage methods according to the shipping period.

The produced manual will be distributed to grape-exporting farmers and organizations through city and county agricultural technology centers and the Korea Grape Export Federation, an integrated grape export organization.

The main producing countries of Shine Muscat are South Korea, Japan, and China, competing in Southeast Asian and Chinese markets, and continuous export competitiveness requires the production and distribution of high-quality fruit.

The Gyeongbuk Agricultural Research and Extension Services developed long-term storage technology to harvest Shine Muscat in October and store it until the following spring, and through a pilot project linked with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, it has been exported to Vietnam in mid-March, receiving a good response locally.

Shin Yong-seup, director of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services, said, "We hope that the post-harvest management manual will be utilized in the agricultural field and help increase exports in the future."

Shine Muscat is a grape variety popular domestically and internationally for its strong sweetness and edible skin.

Exports increase every year, and last year it accounted for about 80% of South Korea's grape export value.