Originally published September 23, 2024. South Korea’s napa cabbage (Chinese cabbage) prices spiked 69.1% year-on-year on September 19, 2024 to 9,337 won ($6.99) apiece. The governmental Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation attributed the rise to a summer heat-related supply dip.
The hefty price could impact the cost of the staple pickled cabbage dish known as kimchi.
Foodies blame the price surge to 2024’s heatwave, which has raised temperatures by almost 2ºC above the annual average since the1970s.
Additionally, the record heat buildup is altering soil health, introducing new fungal conditions such root rot which brings “cabbage wilting.”
Direct sunlight is also scorching seedlings, according to farmers in the cool highlands where summer napa cabbage cultivation thrives.
South Korea, which shares the Korean Peninsula nation with the Democratic Republic of Korea, now projects a grim cabbage future.
According to the Rural Development Administration, summer cabbage farming in good areas could vanish by 2090 if there is no mitigation.
Earlier in September 2024, the administration inaugurated an institute to run surveys on highland cabbage production.
Kimchi from Napa Cabbage gets Costlier
For now, all focus is on the daily menu favorite of kimchi, a must-have side dish for rice and pork.
The price of kimchi is on the line due to the rising costs of its ingredients. Key ingredients include fermented napa cabbage, garlic, radish and other spices.
According to a November 2022 story by Korea Joongang Daily, this dish can be expensive even when cabbage is cheap. For instance in November 2022, while cabbage cost 4,494 won or $3.15 apiece, imported kimchi called for 12,370 ($9.26) per 10 kg.
So, if the temperatures keep surging, the choice veggie will also be facing increasing shortage and hence turn pricey. To put this into the larger picture of production, here are statistics on Korea’s cabbage sector.
Republic of Korea Cabbage Statistics
South Korea or the Republic of Korea is a top 3 cabbage-producing nations. It regularly ranks third after Asian and Eurasia counterparts, China, India and Russia, respectively. The Far-east nation produced 2,403,447 tonnes of cabbage in 2021, according to FAOSTAT. This output increased to 2,428,894 tonnes in 2022, despite a reduction in acreage from 38,760 hectares in 2021 to 36,931 hectares. The above production is however but a sliver of China’s 2021 world production lead at 35,092,621.83 tonnes a year.
How many cabbages does each Korean produce per capita?
South Korea tops cabbage production per capita at 47.897 kg per person per year, ahead of Ukraine’s 40.758 kg per capita (2021). China and Kenya round up the top 4 at 25.177 and 21.587 kg per person per year, as of 2021.
How much cabbage do people in South Korea eat?
At 47 kg per person per year, South Korea had the second highest cabbage consumption per capita in 2018 after Romania, per Globe Newswire. In the 2011-2021 decade, South Koreans averaged between 47.1 kg and 61.7 kg of cabbage consumption per capita in 2011. The 2022 consumption rate reached 52 kg per person per year. This made cabbage the number one vegetable in consumption in the nation, followed by onions.