Economy

Chinese firm to export 1,500 tonnes of cabbage to S Korea

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-10-12 13:34

CHANGCHUN - A Chinese company plans to export at least 1,500 tonnes of cabbage to South Korea, as soaring vegetable prices at home force Seoul to increase imports to feed kimchi-loving Koreans.

The cabbage - a key ingredient in the spicy, pickled kimchi - will be shipped to South Korea from northeast China's Jilin province, said a manager with Gaorong Agricultural Co Ltd, the Changchun-based exporting company.

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About 262 tonnes have already been shipped, while workers are preparing the rest of the contracted shipment, said the manager Zhao Xiaowei.

The contract was inked after South Korea decided to temporarily remove import tariffs on Chinese cabbages earlier this month after local cabbage prices shot up a whopping 118.9 percent in September, causing a supply crisis.

An unusually long period of bad weather was blamed for the wide-spread failure in South Korean output.

Kimchi, made of cabbage fermented in white radish and chili paste seasoning, is the national dish of South Korea.