Korean Farm Ministry said the country imported 125,681 tons of beef from the U.S last year, up 97 percent from 63,817 tons in 2009. In last 2003, this number reached a record high 199,409 tons.
The government attributed the big increase to the dwindling fear for U.S beef caused by outbreak of cow mad disease in U.S. and also widespread outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in South Korea last year.
In 2006, after some banning measure for U.S beef imports, the amounts of importing U.S beef reached a low at 582 tons a year, with numbers going on to 35,343 tons the next year and 68,989 in 2009.
Meanwhile, U.S. beef imports were down 12.5 percent last year while beef exports were up 18.9 percent compared to the year before. For the first year since 1947, the U.S. exported more beef in 2010 than it exported. In total, 2010 beef exports equaled 8.74 percent of U.S. beef production and imports equaled 8.73 percent of U.S. production.
The four biggest foreign buyers of U.S. beef last year were Mexico, Canada, Japan and South Korea. Together they purchased 66 percent of U.S. total beef exports. The biggest growth market last year was South Korea.
(아주경제 송지영 기자)
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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