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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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 Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 4:23 am Post subject: Skyrocketing cabbage prices are driving everyone crazy |
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http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/10/123_73849.html
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0-01-2010 18:10
Korea all-out to secure cabbages amid kimchi crisis
By Kim Da-ye
Kimchi is turning into a rare commodity, with supermarkets displaying �out of stock� signs, and the prices of Chinese cabbage and white radish, the main ingredients for Koreans� main side dish, being jacked up many times.
With the traditional �gimjang� season when a large amount of kimchi for winter use approaching, the shortages are forcing the government to remove tariffs on imports from China.
According to Statistics Korea, the prices of fresh vegetables including cabbage, white radishes, garlic and peppers as well as Koreans� favorite lettuce have gone 84.4 percent in September from a year earlier, accounting for a lofty 3.6 percent hike in consumer prices.
On Friday morning, a housewife was choosing Chinese cabbages at E-Mart in Yangjae-dong, Seoul. �The size is even smaller than the ones available yesterday,� she murmured. �The price is a whopping 7,500 won; although it is a bit cheaper than yesterday.�
The price of 7,500 won is an improvement from four days ago, when a head of Chinese cabbage sold for 13,800 won at the large Nonghyup Hanaro Club supermarket.
Shelves that were usually full of readymade kimchi packs were completely empty with a sign apologizing for the lack of stock at E-Mart.
Statistics Korea data showed that the price of Chinese cabbage in September went up 60.9 percent from August, or 118.9 percent from a year ago. The price isn�t likely to drop much in October with the amount of radishes and cabbage to be sold expected to be just half of what was available last year. The Korea Rural Economy Institute (KREI) said that the current high prices would drop in October by up to 16 percent _ to 18,000 won for 18 kilograms of radishes and 13,000 won for 10 kilograms of cabbage.
The Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MIFAFF) announced Friday that it will import 100 tons of Chinese cabbage and 50 tons of white radishes from China. It will also temporarily remove the 30-percent tariff on imported radishes and the 27-percent on cabbage. MIFAFF says it plans to import more of the vegetables, depending on the demand.
Lotte Mart, a large supermarket chain, also plans to import 50,000 heads of cabbage in early October and sell them at 2,000 to 3,000 won a head.
Not everyone welcomes the government�s action to import key kimchi ingredients from China.
A housewife who gave only her last name Ahn said, �I guess cabbages are grown in different soil in China. I am not sure if those cabbages would suit our body.� Ahn says she is still eating kimchi made last December.
Wee Doo-hwan, secretary general of the progressive Korean Peasants League, said, �The vegetable prices went up because land for farming has been removed for the four-river refurbishment project while the weather has been strange and we received too much rainfall. We need to correct the problem at its root rather than depending on imports. We don�t know if this crisis will come again.�
Restaurants are feeling warm toward the policy. Many owners say that they cannot stop serving or serve less kimchi even if they lose money this month.
Apart from the import of cabbage from China, the ministry says it will financially support farmers so that they can put fertilizer on weak plants and harvest them early. It says that it will be able to supply 50,000 to 60,000 tons of Chinese cabbage during this fall that was supposed to be released between January and April next year.
In the meantime, housewives and other kimchi makers have come up with alternatives including making it with other kinds of vegetables or cabbage in brine and growing vegetables on their own.
The municipal government of Goesan in North Chungcheong Province became an overnight star when it announced Thursday that it will sell 20 kilogram packets of cabbage in brine at 25,000 won. Its website got shut down when too many people tried to access it.
On Friday at the Nonghyup Hanaro Club in Yangjae-dong, 10 kilogram packs of cabbage in brine were being sold at 69,000 won. At the discount section for the fresh vegetable corner, housewives were gathered to select the best packs of cabbage leaves priced at 200 won per 100 grams.
The lack of Chinese cabbage has also spawned stories that are now hot potatoes on news portals.
It was reported Thursday that President Lee Myung-bak ordered a Cheong Wa Dae chef to serve Kimchi made of western cabbage whose price has also gone up. Netizens compared the President to Marie Antoinette, the queen of French King Louis XVI, who is believed to have told the starving public, �Let them eat cake.� Eight kilograms of western cabbage was auctioned Friday at 10,464 won on average compared to 10 kilograms of Chinese cabbage auctioned at 17,842 won at the Garak Market, Seoul.
Additionally, a group of three men were caught by the police in Gangwon Province for stealing 420 heads of Chinese cabbage, according to local news agency Yonhap.
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Last edited by sojusucks on Sat Oct 02, 2010 4:25 am; edited 2 times in total |
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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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| Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 4:25 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| A housewife who gave only her last name Ahn said, �I guess cabbages are grown in different soil in China. I am not sure if those cabbages would suit our body.� Ahn says she is still eating kimchi made last December. |
Wow, this situation is really making people crazy. |
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Wishmaster
Joined: 06 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 6:49 am Post subject: |
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| Oh, I don't know. Maybe a shot in the dark here. Since they are bitching that it cost too much maybe...maybe...just stop eating kimchi. I know, I know...radical idea there. But seriously, kimchi causes stomach cancer. Google it. It is on par with smoking cigarettes. So, maybe instead of bitching about it, just stop eating it. Again, shot in the dark. |
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jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 7:41 am Post subject: |
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| Wishmaster wrote: |
| But seriously, kimchi causes stomach cancer. Google it. |
I would like to see the gender breakdown on this. I have a sneaking suspicion that man have a far higher rate of stomach cancer... soju... smoking... late nights every night. |
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BoholDiver
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 6:41 pm Post subject: |
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Shouldn't soju more likely cause cirrhosis of the liver, and smoking cause lung cancer.
Men probably have more cancer here (just a guess) due to their shitty lifestyle, I agree. But not limited to stomach cancer.
| jvalmer wrote: |
| Wishmaster wrote: |
| But seriously, kimchi causes stomach cancer. Google it. |
I would like to see the gender breakdown on this. I have a sneaking suspicion that man have a far higher rate of stomach cancer... soju... smoking... late nights every night. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 7:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Wishmaster wrote: |
| Oh, I don't know. Maybe a shot in the dark here. Since they are bitching that it cost too much maybe...maybe...just stop eating kimchi. I know, I know...radical idea there. But seriously, kimchi causes stomach cancer. Google it. It is on par with smoking cigarettes. So, maybe instead of bitching about it, just stop eating it. Again, shot in the dark. |
So the next time milk prices jump, I assume you'll stop eating cheese right?
I mean after all it causes heart disease and obesity. On par with smoking cigs.
Oh but wait, that would require you not being judgmental towards others and holding yourself to the same standard. Ouch. Nevermind. |
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Wishmaster
Joined: 06 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 7:54 pm Post subject: |
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Again, since it is so difficult for some to understand, if you don't like something...don't buy it. If something is too expensive and you don't want to spend the money...don't buy it. See how easy it is. But considering that Koreans have to have that cabbage, I imagine that the cabbage mafia could charge 100,000 a head and these drones would still pay.
Oh, and fire is bad... |
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Wishmaster
Joined: 06 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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I don't eat cheese every day  . And equating cheese to something as foul as kimchi is stupid. Do you have a degree? |
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BoholDiver
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 11:38 pm Post subject: |
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I want to say 2 things about this issue:
1. Being a Korean farmer must be cool. You get to marry a Filipino or Vietnamese lady first, not a haggy ajumma. But other than that, when a large chunk of your crop is destoryed, you actually make more money!!
Where else but in Koreaeconomics could a 50% or so lost crop equate 600-800% price increases?
Think like this. I usually harvest 10,000 cucumbers at 50 cents each. That's $5000. This year because of rain and heat I only harvested 5000 cucumbers. Now a cucumber is $2. I made $10,000 instead!!!
2. In the article, the part that made me frown was the point about 'Chinese soil not matching a Korean person's body'. There Koreans go again, thinking they're so unique. Just like how some claimed that Koreans were more susceptible to mad cow's disease. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 3:18 am Post subject: |
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| Wishmaster wrote: |
| I don't eat cheese every day . And equating cheese to something as foul as kimchi is stupid. Do you have a degree? |
Do you eat dairy products every day?
Yes I have a degree. A degree that teaches me that your comparison of cheese to kimchi is subjective and not objective.
I love cheese more than kimchi too. That doesn't make it right.
Fine, lets substitute beef for kimchi. Suppose beef prices shot up. Would you just stoically switch over to chicken and pork or would throw some sort of tirade over high beef prices and how you can't get your artery clogging McDouble? |
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Sector7G
Joined: 24 May 2008
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| Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 4:52 am Post subject: |
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| sojusucks wrote: |
| Quote: |
| A housewife who gave only her last name Ahn said, �I guess cabbages are grown in different soil in China. I am not sure if those cabbages would suit our body.� Ahn says she is still eating kimchi made last December. |
Wow, this situation is really making people crazy. |
A Korean friend of mine told me that when he served his time in the Korean army they were fed the "cheap Chinese kimchi"(his words), and every one groused about it. But that was over ten years ago so don't know if they still do that. |
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BoholDiver
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 5:49 am Post subject: |
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Puhleeze. Koreans can't tell the difference. Kimchi made in different regions by different people varies so much.
| Sector7G wrote: |
| sojusucks wrote: |
| Quote: |
| A housewife who gave only her last name Ahn said, �I guess cabbages are grown in different soil in China. I am not sure if those cabbages would suit our body.� Ahn says she is still eating kimchi made last December. |
Wow, this situation is really making people crazy. |
A Korean friend of mine told me that when he served his time in the Korean army they were fed the "cheap Chinese kimchi"(his words), and every one groused about it. But that was over ten years ago so don't know if they still do that. |
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Sector7G
Joined: 24 May 2008
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| Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 6:19 am Post subject: |
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| BoholDiver wrote: |
Puhleeze. Koreans can't tell the difference. Kimchi made in different regions by different people varies so much.
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Exactly!! And the true kimchi connoisseurs can tell you region and season with one bite. |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 10:41 pm Post subject: |
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| BoholDiver wrote: |
I want to say 2 things about this issue:
2. In the article, the part that made me frown was the point about 'Chinese soil not matching a Korean person's body'. There Koreans go again, thinking they're so unique. Just like how some claimed that Koreans were more susceptible to mad cow's disease. |
Actually what was said that Chinese CABBAGES do not match a Korean person's body.
And how does one person stating an opinion equate to "There Koreans go again, thinking they're so unique"? |
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caniff
Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Location: All over the map
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| Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 1:56 am Post subject: |
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| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
| BoholDiver wrote: |
I want to say 2 things about this issue:
2. In the article, the part that made me frown was the point about 'Chinese soil not matching a Korean person's body'. There Koreans go again, thinking they're so unique. Just like how some claimed that Koreans were more susceptible to mad cow's disease. |
Actually what was said that Chinese CABBAGES do not match a Korean person's body.
And how does one person stating an opinion equate to "There Koreans go again, thinking they're so unique"? |
Either way, I don't think the reporter threw that quote in there because she felt it was "zany" or funny or something - seems more like she thought that was a typical Korean opinion on the subject. |
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