Vietnam becomes largest grape importer of RoK

Seoul – Vietnam surpassed China and Hong Kong to become the largest importer of Korean grapes after the country increased its imports by 34.8 percent in 2019, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of the Republic of Korea (RoK).

Vietnam becomes the largest importer of Korean grapes.(Photo: Gimcheon City Office )

Shine Muscats grapes have been popular in Vietnam, and purchase of the grapes surged during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday. According to head of the Korea Grape Export Association Hwang Eui-chang, 70 percent of Shine Muscats are used for ancestral rites and gifts in Vietnam on the occasion.

First-grade Shine Muscats cost 19,000 KRW (16 USD) per kilogramme, while second-grade fruit is sold at 17,500 KRW (15 USD) for each kilogramme.

Despite their exorbitant price, Shine Muscats is favoured by Vietnamese customers thanks to their delicious taste.

Last year, Korean grape exports reached 23 million USD, a year-on-year surge of 64.2 percent. Shine Muscats accounted for 72.4 percent of all grape exports, followed by Geobong grapes (13.8 percent), and Campbell grapes (13.3 percent).

Meanwhile, the RoK shipped 54 million USD worth of strawberries to foreign countries in the year, up 14.7 percent from 2018, with shipments to Vietnam jumping 90 percent to 7 million USD. Korean strawberries accounted for 99.4 percent of Vietnam’s total strawberry imports.