Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryeong Inspects Chuseok Holiday Produce Supply and Distribution

Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-ryeong visited the fruit hub agricultural product processing center (APC) in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, and Lotte Mart's Anseong branch on the 12th to inspect the supply and distribution conditions of major goods for the Chuseok holiday.

After observing the sorting and shipping process of pears—one of the representative Chuseok holiday items—at the APC, Minister Song urged officials to "exercise meticulous care in distribution management to ensure there are no disruptions in the supply of holiday items right up until the holiday begins."

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) has expanded the supply of pears for the Chuseok peak season to 146,000 tons, which is 3.5 times the usual volume, through contracted cultivation and the release of designated shipping volumes.

In addition, the ministry has increased the supply of discounted items, such as medium and small-sized apples and pears, as well as alternative fruit gift sets like Shine Muscat and citrus fruits, raising the volume from 150,000 sets last year to 230,000 sets this year.

An APC official who guided the tour stated, "The growth condition, harvest volume, and proportion of large fruits for pears this year are maintaining average levels, so there will be no disruptions in supplying goods for the Chuseok peak season."

Minister Song then visited Lotte Mart's Anseong branch to examine supply and demand trends for agricultural and livestock products for the holiday and inspected the agricultural and livestock product discount support program.

Deploying a budget of 149 billion won, MAFRA is providing discounts of up to 40% on Chuseok holiday items and other agricultural and livestock products at large and medium-sized supermarkets, eco-friendly stores, direct-to-consumer markets, and online shopping malls through the 30th.

In addition, an event will be held at 300 traditional markets nationwide from the 16th to the 20th, refunding 30% of purchases of domestic agricultural and livestock products in Onnuri gift certificates, up to a limit of 20,000 won per person.

Minister Song emphasized, "We will closely monitor the inventory status at production and distribution sites for major Chuseok holiday items in cooperation with related organizations, and focus all our capabilities on lowering the grocery burden for the public."

(Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.