[News in Numbers] Reason for Rising Kimchi-Making Costs... Cabbage and Radish Production Down 6% and 21%

This fall, the production of napa cabbage and radish has decreased compared to last year. The main reason for the approximately 20% increase in this year's Kimjang costs compared to last year is interpreted as a result of the reduced production of these vegetables.

As the peak kimchi-making season begins, a staff member at a large supermarket in Seoul is displaying radishes and other agricultural products on the 19th. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

According to a price survey conducted by the Korea Price Association at traditional markets in 17 cities and provinces as of October 29, the cost of Kimjang ingredients for a family of four this year was 419,130 won, a 19.6% increase from last year. The prices of the main ingredients, napa cabbage and radish, rose by more than 60% compared to a year ago, driving the overall cost increase.

The retail price of napa cabbage averaged 7,050 won per head, which is 61.1% higher than the price a year ago, and radish prices increased by 65.9%.

The significant rise in prices of napa cabbage and radish, the main ingredients for Kimjang, is largely attributed to the decrease in production.

According to the recent "Production Survey of Autumn Napa Cabbage, Radish, Soybean, Apple, and Pear" released by Statistics Korea, this year's autumn napa cabbage production was 1,164,000 tons, down 78,000 tons (6.3%) from last year's 1,242,000 tons.

This decline is due to reduced cultivation area caused by adverse weather during the transplanting period and frequent rainfall during the growing season. The cultivation area decreased by 0.6% to 13,076 hectares (ha), and the yield per 10 ares (a) dropped by 5.8% to 8,902 kg.

Autumn radish production also fell to 384,000 tons, a 21.0% decrease of 102,000 tons from last year's 487,000 tons. The cultivation area shrank by 14.5% from 6,207 ha to 5,308 ha due to adverse weather during the sowing period, and the yield per 10 ares decreased by 7.6% from 7,841 kg to 7,243 kg because of frequent rainfall during the growing season.

Meanwhile, kimchi imports this year reached 254,267 tons as of October, a 7.4% increase compared to the same period last year. This is believed to be due to the rise in prices of kimchi main ingredients, which caused domestic kimchi prices to surge significantly, increasing demand for low-priced Chinese kimchi.

Amid the K-food boom, kimchi exports also increased. During the same period, kimchi exports rose by 4.2% year-on-year to 38,659 tons. However, imports increased more sharply than exports, resulting in a trade deficit that tripled from 6.16 million USD (approximately 8.7 billion KRW) during the same period last year to 20.03 million USD (approximately 28 billion KRW).