Seoul City Cracks Down on 'Shopping Basket Prices'... Supplying a Box of Apples for 9,990 Won

Apples Sold at 66% and Green Onions at 24% Cheaper Than Average Retail Price

Seoul City will supply apples and green onions at prices lower than the market to curb the rising prices of groceries amid high agricultural product prices.

On the 19th, the city announced that it has decided to supply 7.5 tons of apples and 17 tons of green onions by minimizing distribution and sales margins in cooperation with the Seoul Agro-Fisheries & Food Corporation, four wholesale market corporations at Garak Market (Seoul Cheonggwa, Jungang Cheonggwa, Donghwa Cheonggwa, Dae-A Cheonggwa), and Lotte Mart.

As part of the 'Good Price Project,' which selects items with rapidly rising prices to stabilize agricultural product prices and supplies them at prices lower than the market through public-private cooperation, the city promoted zucchini in January.

Considering the recent price situation, the city selected green onions, a vegetable, and apples, a fruit, among frequently purchased agricultural products with significant price increases. Apple production decreased by 30% compared to the previous year due to cold damage and hail during the growing season, and green onion production dropped by 13% compared to the previous year due to adverse weather conditions during the summer growing season, causing prices to surge.

Photo by Seoul City

The supply period is three days from the 21st to the 23rd. Apples will be sold at Lotte Mart stores in Seoul at 9,990 KRW per 2.5 kg box, and green onions will be sold at Lotte Mart and Lotte Super at 2,950 KRW per 1 kg. Compared to the average retail price in the first week of March, apples are about 66% and green onions about 24% cheaper. The city explained that the consumer price of apples could be further lowered thanks to production area subsidies from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

This project utilizes the wholesale market corporations within Garak Market to secure high-quality agricultural products as much as possible and minimizes costs by using the logistics system of Lotte Mart and Lotte Super. Additionally, Seoul City supports logistics costs for producers, and the wholesale market corporations subsidize part of the agricultural product prices to reduce costs.

Oh Jong-beom, Director of the Seoul City Agro-Fisheries Distribution Division, said, "We hope this helps citizens who are burdened by the recent rise in agricultural product prices," and added, "We will continue to make every effort to supply agricultural products at affordable prices through public-private cooperation."