Location
Occupying the
southern 45% of the Korean Peninsula in East Asia, the Republic of
Korea (ROK), also known as South Korea, has an area of 98,480 km2.
Bounded on the North by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK),
on the East by the Sea of Japan (known in Korea as the East Sea), on
the South by the Korea Strait, and on the West by the Yellow Sea.
Agricultural Sector
The rapid development of the economy of
the Republic of Korea of the past 40 years has resulted in a declining
role for the agricultural sector. The share of the agricultural sector
fell from 27% of GDP and 50% of the labour force in 1970, to 3.3 per
cent and 6.4 per cent in 1999, respectively (CIA, 2007). In other words, agriculture
in the Republic of Korea is characterized by a small family farm
structure cultivating rice as a basic crop. Barley is the second most
important crop produced in the country. Other crops produced in South
Korea are millet, corn, sorghum, buckwheat, soybeans, and potatoes,
fruits and vegetables which include pears, grapes, mandarin oranges, apples,
peaches, Welsh onions, Chinese cabbage, red peppers, persimmons,
cabbage, peaches, and radishes. Other important cash crops includes
cotton, hemp, sesame, tobacco, and ginseng. Of the total land in use,
16.58% is arable land, 2% is crop land, and 81.40% is for other uses (Ministry
of Agriculture and Forestry of Korea).
Brief overview of organic farming
According to IFOAM & FiBL (2006), in
the Republic of South Korea there are 28,218 hectares of land under
organic management, with a share of total agricultural land of 1.46%
and a presence of around 28,951 organic farms. According to UNESCAP,
Korea is one of the major organic market in Asia. In the early 1990s,
the government decided to adopt a sustainable agriculture development
policy as an important agricultural policy and the Direct Payment
Programme for sustainable farming practices was adopted in 1999. The
main purpose of this programme is to pay farmers directly for the
additional costs or farm income loss as a result of practicing
sustainable agriculture. Consequently, the number of farms and
cultivated areas of organic farming has been increasing very rapidly
since the mid-1990s. Nevertheless, almost no organic agricultural
products and foods are exported to foreign countries because the
quantity is not enough to process for export. For this reason, no
foreign donor agency is working in the Republic of Korea in the
organic sector. Some Korean food companies import processed foods such
as orange juice for baby food production (UNESCAP, 2006).
Brief overview of key organic products
The local organic products grown are:
rice and vegetables. Reportedly, they produce 500 metric tons of
organic rice a year. There are also productions of organic grapes,
strawberries, and small oranges. Because most crops are produced in
costly greenhouses, production of these goods is limited. The organic
sector in the Republic of Korea is mostly domestic-oriented. Although
the domestic demand of organic products has increased in South Korea,
production has not been able to satisfy the growing domestic demand
and therefore, most of the organic food sold in South Korea is
imported. According to the largest Korean retailers of processed
organic
products, this segment has shown the most growth in the sector and is
anticipated to continue to do so in the future (OTA).
The network
As already mentioned, there is no NGO
or international organization working on the development of the
organic sector in South Korea. Due to a high level of cancer caused by
the indiscriminate use of chemical during in the past decades, the
local population is aware of the advantages of sustainable agriculture
and organic food. However, initiatives in the development of this
sector are left to the government and the private sector. It is
expected that the increasing amounts of organic products demanded,
will be imported because of the limited organic production in the
Republic of Korea. The organic sector in South Korea offers many
opportunities for foreign imported organic products (OTA).
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Korea
Government Complex Gwacheon,
Jungang-dong 1,
Gwacheon,
Gyeonggi-do
Tel: +822 2110 4000
http://english.maf.go.kr/index.jsp
References
-
CIA FactBook, 31.05.07
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ks.html
- FAO, 24.10.2006: Key Statistics of Food and Agriculture External Trade.
Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO),
Statistics Division.
www.fao.org/es/ess/toptrade/trade.asp?dir=exp&country=3&ryear=2004 and
www.fao.org/es/ess/top/country.html?lang=en
-
FAO, IFOAM, and Earth Net Foundation (2003): Proceedings of the
Seminar on the Production and Export of Organic Fruit And Vegetables
in Asia.
http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/AD429E/ad429e00.HTM
-
IFOAM & FiBL (2006): The World of Organic Agriculture. Statistics and
Emerging Trends 2006. International Federation of Organic Agriculture
Movements (IFOAM), Bonn & Research Institute of Organic Agriculture
FiBL, Frick, pp. 108-117.
-
Organic Trade Association: OTA Market Overview. South Korean Organic
Market. Available at
http://www.ota.com/pics/documents/koreanmarketoverview.pdf
-
UNESCAP(2006)
http://unescap.org/stat/data/statind/pdf/index.asp
- Yussefi, Minou and Willer, Helga, Eds. (2003): The World of Organic
Agriculture, Statistics and Future Prospects. Foundation Ecology and
Agriculture, Germany and International Federation of Organic
Agriculture Movements.
