The kimchi-making season is just around the corner, so when will the price of cabbage drop? "If you wait a few days..."

- Cold autumn weather, spinach, lettuce, and chives ↓
- Prices of fruits such as shine muskats, pears, and sweet persimmons also fall
- Prices of green peppers and jujube cherry tomatoes rise slightly
- Early November, cabbage prices increase
- The government is seeking measures to stabilize supply and demand for kimchi

■ Broadcast: YTN Radio FM 94.5 (09:00-10:00)
■ Host: Reporter Cho Tae-hyun
■ Air date: October 28, 2024 (Monday)
■ Dialogue: Assistant Manager Won Ji-seon of the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information.
◆ Reporter Cho Tae-hyun (hereinafter referred to as Cho Tae-hyun): It's time to take a look at the vivid price information of traditional markets and hypermarkets for a week to see what the most delicious and cheap seasonal food is. It's time for "Shopping Basket Live Price". Today, we will be with Won Ji-sun of the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation. Is the assistant manager here?

◇ Mr. Won Ji-sun of the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (hereinafter referred to as Won Ji-sun): Yes, hello.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: Yes, hello. As fall has gotten shorter, the weather seems to be very chilly.It's also agricultural products that touch the weather a lot. How was the change in the price of agricultural products this week?

◇ Won Ji-seon: Spinach, lettuce, and chives were cheap this week. Since Chuseok, the price of spinach has continued to decline since last week as the weather has cooled and shipping areas have expanded. Spinach was about 21% cheaper than last week, from 1968 won to 1547 won. As the temperature of lettuce also dropped, the price of 2,744 won per 100 grams in early October has recently fallen to 2,133 won. The demand for camping would have been steady due to the good autumn weather, but prices are falling. Chives were priced higher than last year due to the shipment of open-field cultivation, but they fell about 13.4% from the previous week to 9,034 won per kilogram as growth in the main production area of Asan, Hongseong, Chungcheongnam-do, recovered.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: The price of spinach lettuce, which has been expensive. I'm quite happy to hear that it's stabilizing downward. When I came to grocery shopping recently, the price of shine muskets became very cheap, how did the price of fruits change?

◇ Won Ji-sun: Yes. Shine muskets, called aristocratic fruits, are common and intimate these days due to the expansion of the cultivation area. It's currently being traded at 10,472 won for a box of 2kg. In 2017, shine muskets accounted for only 4% of the total grape cultivation area, but as they gradually expanded, they increased to 44% last year. Now, it can be said that it is much more popular if you look at the cultivation area than Campbell's 29% and Geobong's 17%. As other types of grapes such as Geobong and Campbell have become increasingly difficult to find after season, it would be good for those who like grapes to try shine muskets that can be enjoyed for a long time. The price of the ship has also fallen. Ships were down about 17% from last week to 28,852 won per 10 due to increased production. Sweet persimmons, a fruit that comes to mind when you think of autumn, continue to decline. The price, which was 2,030 won per unit in early October, is currently trading at around 1,600 won. I think it would be good to buy a lot of ripe persimmons, which are in season from the end of October.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: Shine muskets, pears, sweet persimmons, and even saury. But recently, when I went grocery shopping again, the price of tomatoes became really expensive. What are some items that have increased in price?

◇ Won Ji-seon: Yes, the items that went up this week are green peppers and jujube cherry tomatoes. In October, the price of green peppers and jujube cherry tomatoes, where sunlight is important, rose as autumn rain fell a lot and suddenly became chilly. Chili peppers edged up to 1,616 won from 1,454 won per 100 grams in mid-October. Jujube cherry tomatoes also rose about 5.7 percent from 15,379 won per kilogram the previous week to 16,252 won now.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: Okay. If there's a price cut, there's an item that goes up. What kind of seasonal agricultural and fishery products will be available this week?

◇ Won Ji-seon: It's also called the luxury of the sea. Abalone is a low-fat, high-protein food rich in vitamins and minerals, which is not only good for restoring energy but also effective for dieting. When choosing abalone, choose the one with clear patterns and no scratches. It's fresh and good abalone that's chubby outside the shell. When cleaning, spray a little salt and wash it clean with a soft toothbrush before using it. To give you a tip, it's convenient to put a little water in a mixer, grind it, store it in an ice frame, and take it out and use it when you need it. A wide variety of dishes are possible with abalone, and our aT recently produced and sent a video of abalone seaweed soup recipe. I think it would be good to take a look.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: Abalone seaweed soup. Please refer to abalone seaweed soup using seasonal agricultural and fishery products. Do you have any news you want to tell me?

◇ Won Ji-sun: Yes, since people make kimchi from late autumn to early winter, 70 places in Gangwon-do and northern Gyeonggi-do usually started in early November. This year, there was a prospect that the drop in cabbage would be even greater from early November. Since cabbage is a low-temperature crop, the mountain range gradually expands from north to south in winter. Recently, cabbage production has expanded to parts of the west coast of Chungcheongnam-do through Gangwon, Chungbuk, and Gyeongbuk. In early November, it will be expanded to Jeollanam-do, the main production area. If the production area expands, high-quality cabbage can be purchased at a low price. Cabbage is important, but red pepper powder, onions, green onions, and ginger, which are ingredients for seasoning, are produced sufficiently this year, and the government plans to use contract cultivation and stockpiles to stabilize the supply and demand of kimchi, so please refer to it if you have any plans.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: Okay. I've looked at the contents of kimchi. So far, I've been looking into it with Won Ji-sun of the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation. Thank you for talking today as well.

◇ Won Ji-sun: Yes, thank you.