Okra to Enter South Korea Market as the Philippines Starts Exporting
The “okra” or ladyfingers will soon enter the market of South Korea the Philippines will start exporting local produce to the neighboring country.
According to the Department of Agriculture, the Philippines will export okra to South Korea once the supply requirement is determined. According to Secretary William Dar, the Philippines has been persuading South Korea to buy okra since 2014.
“After the resumption of okra exports to Japan last year, we are opening yet another market access for our okra, this time with the huge Korean food market. The Philippine government has been requesting market access of okra to Korea since 2014 and finally, it was granted. This is a milestone for us considering we are still in the midst of the global pandemic,” said Dar.
On May 6, 2021, the Korean government declared that the ruling procedure for Philippine okra market entry to Korea had been completed through the official notification from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (MAFRA).
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Dar applauds the efforts of concerned DA offices, especially the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) and the Philippine Agriculture Office in Seoul, for this important breakthrough, which will pave the way for increased farm and fishery exports to Korea.
The inspection report from the okra plantation in Tarlac from which the exported vegetables will be harvested is the condition requested by South Korea. Okra is popular in Korea because it is used as a banchan or side dish.
Okra is only available in frozen or dried form on the internet market. New, green pods are available in small quantities during the summer season, but processed okra products are mainly imported from China. Filipinos and other Asian nationalities in Korea consume the majority of these.
“The entry of Philippine okra to the Korean market is indeed a welcome development to boost not only the livelihood and incomes of our farmers but also pave the way to other potential export crops, thus invigorating the country’s agriculture sector,” the DA chief concluded.
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