The price of Shine Muscat grapes, once known as a "noble fruit" due to their high cost, has fallen by more than 40% over the past three years. Although the cultivation area has already begun to decline, concerns about falling prices persist as the harvest season and Chuseok approach.
According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) on September 10, the retail price of Shine Muscat (L size, 2 kg) is reported at 16,572 won this month. This marks a 41.1% decrease from 28,113 won on September 2, 2023, and is 27.6% lower than the average price of 22,879 won.
Last month also saw similar trends, with the average retail price in August at 19,497 won, down 47.2% from 36,905 won in August 2023. Three years ago, a box of Shine Muscat grapes exceeded 30,000 won, but prices have recently dropped to the 10,000 won range.
As prices continue to weaken, farmers are reducing their cultivation of Shine Muscat grapes. The Agricultural Outlook Center of the Korea Rural Economic Institute projected in April that the cultivation area for Shine Muscat grapes would decrease by 11.0% this year to 5,228 hectares, down from 5,877 hectares last year.
This shift is attributed to an increasing number of farmers transitioning to other grape varieties or crops. A survey by the Agricultural Outlook Center indicated that among farmers who changed their cultivation area, 64.9% switched to other grape varieties, while 19.3% transitioned to different crops. Overall grape cultivation area is also expected to decline from 14,171 hectares last year to 13,737 hectares this year, a decrease of 3.1%.
The immediate concern is the volume of shipments. On September 2, officials from major Shine Muscat producing regions, including Gimcheon, Yeongcheon, Sangju, and Gyeongsan in North Gyeongsang Province, held a meeting to discuss strategies for spreading out shipments and enhancing quality control.
North Gyeongsang Province noted that this year's Chuseok holiday is earlier than usual, raising concerns about a potential concentration of shipments before the holiday in September and October. They emphasized the need to distribute shipments to avoid overwhelming the market at a specific time and to ensure a stable supply of high-quality grapes.
Addressing the issue of immature grapes affecting quality is also a challenge for producers. North Gyeongsang Province plans to strengthen quality control measures and encourage the timely harvesting of products to restore consumer confidence affected by the sale of immature grapes.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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