Minister Song Miryeong: "Importing 1,100 tons of Chinese Cabbage by October... Will Use All Possible Means to Stabilize"

Minister Song Miryung, Regular Press Briefing with Journalists on the 30th

Song Miryeong, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated on the 30th, "We will mobilize all means, including the import of fresh cabbage and encouragement of early harvesting, to stabilize the price of cabbage, which is struggling due to supply shortages caused by the heatwave."

On the same day, Minister Song held a regular press briefing at the Government Complex Sejong and said, "To stabilize cabbage supply, we plan to import 1,100 tons of Chinese cabbage by next month."

Song Mi-ryeong, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, is answering questions at the regular press briefing held at the Government Sejong Complex on the 30th.

However, the import volume will be flexibly determined according to the domestic supply and demand situation. Minister Song explained, "We have not contracted all the planned import quantities; instead, we will import 200 tons weekly," adding, "If the domestic cabbage supply improves, we may import less than planned."

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, aside from cabbage, fruits, other vegetables, and livestock products are generally stable. The ministry expects further stabilization as temperatures begin to drop significantly from this week. For livestock products, special winter quarantine measures will be implemented to thoroughly manage animal diseases such as avian influenza (AI).

Minister Song evaluated that the recent decline in rice prices has somewhat slowed following the early announcement of the 2024 harvest season measures on the 10th. He emphasized, "The 20,000-hectare pre-isolation (for feed and alcohol production) measures are being implemented on schedule," and added, "After the Statistics Korea’s expected production announcement on the 7th of next month, we will implement additional measures if necessary."

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has begun preparing fundamental measures to resolve the oversupply of rice. Through the 'Structural Improvement Task Force (TF)' launched last week, they plan to establish fundamental measures within this year. Minister Song explained, "It is necessary to actively develop and distribute rice varieties with good taste and increase demand for new varieties through sales in small packages of 10 kg or less," adding, "We will also explore incentive plans to increase rice consumption through our traditional liquors, similar to Japan’s sake."

Minister Song also stated that he will actively engage in communication to ensure the smooth abolition of dog meat consumption by 2027. He said, "The abolition of dog meat consumption is a social issue that has lasted over 30 years. Over time, public awareness, living conditions, and our international standing have changed significantly, and there is sufficient consensus on abolishing dog meat consumption," adding, "Since a smooth abolition by 2027 is important, we will continue to operate communication channels and strive to spread public consensus on the implementation methods and content."

Regarding the related industry's claim that the maximum support fund of 600,000 won per dog is insufficient, Minister Song clarified the position that it is "the maximum support fund considering fairness." He said, "Those receiving support may feel it is insufficient, but it should be compared with other cases such as closure support for African swine fever (ASF) and free trade agreements (FTA)," and added, "(Requests for tax exemption on support funds from the industry) will be considered through discussions in the National Assembly and other processes."