▲ laver

The Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Government has started taking an earnest step to make strong forays into the Chinese market for seasoned dried laver and sea cucumbers on the back of their popularity among the Chinese.

In China, consumption of marine products is increasing rapidly thanks to the rise in income and heightened interest in health. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the average Chinese eats 37kg of marine products a year (2013) vs. the world average of 18.9kg and the Korean average of 54.9kg. Compared to the world average and Korean average above, the amount per person is not that great. But the population of the country (1.4 billion) should also be considered.

The bilateral FTA, which took effect in 2015, paved the way for the price decrease and popularity of Korean goods and led to the rapid increase of the province’s export of processed marine products to China. Especially, China has been suffering from domestic food safety issues, and Korean goods are gaining more popularity with their image of safe food.

The province’s export of dried laver to China remains solid at $12 million, accounting for 21.5% of the entire marine product export of the province.

As for the destinations of the export of seasoned dried laver, China ranks third only after the United States and Japan. Korean seasoned dried laver is no. 1 in terms of market share in China.

The Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Government plans to dispatch a task force (T/F) team composed of representatives of marine products cooperatives  and exporters, officials, and experts to China to discuss ways of increasing export and allowing Korean exporters to open stores at the international marine products market in Chongqing .

The Provincial Government Office will have a separate T/F team to look around marine products markets in Beijing to set up an export strategy focusing on local consumers in China.