Korea's FTAs see grape imports rise

Table grape imports to South Korea rose to 59,260 tonnes in 2014, valued at US$189.52m, according to data compiled by Korea Customs Service.

2014 was a new record for the country’s table grape imports, which totaled 28,000 tonnes in 2009, while Korea's domestic production of table grapes hs halved in terms of planted areas in the past 15 years, according to Korea Bizwire.

More than 80 per cent of Korea’s imported table grapes were supplied by Chile, which shipped 47,000 tonnes worth US$152m in 2014, with the remaining table grape imports supplied by the US and Peru.

The country’s recent free trade agreements with all three countries have been cited for the spike in table grape imports, with import tariffs of Chilean grapes removed in January 2014.