The "champion" of persimmon growing in Korea has sold this delicious fruit to the Vietnamese market. What is the price?

Math teacher becomes "champion" of growing roses in Korea

Gyeongsangnamdo Province (South Korea) is famous for its year-round cool climate, considered the "capital" of Korean persimmons with many years old persimmon gardens, even ancient persimmon trees over 30 years old still giving high yields.

Many people here know the story of Mr. Kim Jin-hyeong, a math teacher at a local high school who became the owner of the province's top high-quality persimmon packing factory.

Mr. Kim Jin-hyeong, a high-quality persimmon farmer in Gyeongsangnamdo Province, South Korea, used to be a math teacher at a local high school.

"As a scientist, I strictly follow the recommendations of the professor from the Korean Persimmon Research Institute and maintain this very strictly, so this year the quality and yield of my persimmons still maintain the top position in the region," said Mr. Kim.

"The point I want to emphasize the most is the issue of using pesticides and chemical residues. We are very careful and do an excellent job of preserving the persimmons to the highest Korean standards. Until the final stage of preservation and packaging, my team and I carefully check each box before loading it onto the truck," Mr. Kim added.

The multi-year-old persimmon trees on Mr. Kim's farm are cared for to the highest Korean standards.

According to Mr. Kim, he has not always been successful, but thanks to his perseverance and love for persimmons, to date, persimmons from Mr. Kim's farm have been exported to many markets around the world.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hai, General Director of Klever Fruit - Vietnam's leading importer of premium fruits, was very impressed when visiting Mr. Kim's persimmon packaging line.

Looking at the large, evenly ripe orange-yellow persimmons running on the sorting line in Mr. Kim's factory, with pallets of persimmons neatly arranged to prepare for export to Taiwan and Vietnam, Mr. Hai thought of promoting the signing to bring these high-quality persimmons to serve the Vietnamese market.

Sharing at the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between 3 parties including Klever Fruit; HuynNong Fresh (a high-end Korean gardener) and the Korean Persimmon Association (an organization representing the Korean persimmon industry), Mr. Hai said that this event is an important milestone in the strategic cooperation relationship to develop high-end agricultural products between Vietnam and Korea in general and between Klever Fruit and its partners in particular.

MOU signing ceremony between Klever Fruit, HuynNong Fresh and Korean Persimmon Association to promote Korean persimmons to Vietnam.

Mr. Hai said that the difficult problem called "origin" is always a barrier to trust and shopping habits of Vietnamese consumers.

With a commitment to ensuring that imported fruits have clear origins and comply with food safety regulations of Vietnam and exporting countries, every year a team of Klever Fruit experts visit each garden to survey the growing process and fruit harvesting standards.

Korean Teachu persimmons are not just ordinary agricultural products, but are considered the embodiment of the quintessence and resilience of nature.

Grown in the harsh natural conditions of Geonsangnam-do, each persimmon is carefully selected from ancient persimmon trees. The special thing about this persimmon variety is that even when green, the persimmons have a natural sweetness, completely different from ordinary fruits.

Representatives of Klever Fruit, HuynNong Fresh and the Korean Persimmon Association committed to promoting the export of high-quality persimmons to Vietnam as well as contributing to introducing Vietnamese specialty fruits to Korea.

Sweet persimmons grown in the mountains of Geonsangnam-do (Korea).

Mr. Lee Sangdeug, representative of the Korean Persimmon Association, said that Korean persimmons were first exported to Southeast Asian markets in 1995, then expanded to other markets. Currently, Korean persimmons are widely available in many Southeast Asian markets and some major markets such as Hong Kong, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, etc.

The Korean Persimmon Association has developed specific guidelines for its members to grow persimmons that meet the standards of each region and country in the world.

Gardeners and farm owners strictly follow these instructions, from choosing persimmon varieties, planting persimmons, caring for them, preserving them, to harvesting and selecting each persimmon that meets export standards.

Many opportunities to export Vietnamese tropical fruits to Korea

Sharing with reporters, Mr. Lee Sangdeug, representative of the Korean Persimmon Association said: "When Koreans mention Vietnam, they immediately think of delicious tropical fruits such as mango, pineapple...

Accordingly, Vietnam can focus on these strong fruits for export to Korea. The most important thing is that Vietnamese fruits need to meet the standards set by the Korean market."

Mr. Lee Sangdeug also said: "During my stay in Vietnam, I had a buffet at the hotel and found that Vietnam's seasonal fruits are very sweet and delicious. I look forward to Vietnam's tropical fruits being exported to Korea soon."

Mr. Lee Sangdeug, representative of the Korean Persimmon Association, and guests enjoyed persimmons from his homeland right in Hanoi.

Klever Fruit representative also said that the Korean market has many opportunities for Vietnamese tropical fruits, but this is also a market with strict standards on food hygiene and safety and product quality.

Fruits imported into Korea must comply with strict regulations on pesticide residues, safe farming processes, and preservation quality.

This is a major challenge for Vietnamese businesses, especially in the context that many farms still use traditional farming methods. To solve this problem, businesses need to invest in post-harvest preservation technology, modern packaging systems and strict quality control processes.

Besides, we are promoting and marketing activities to help Korean consumers recognize and trust products from Vietnam.

Klever Fruit designs beautiful Korean rose gift boxes, suitable as gifts.

Currently, some Vietnamese fruits such as mango, dragon fruit, and lychee have begun to establish a position in the Korean market. In 2023, Korea will be the third largest fruit and vegetable export market of Vietnam, after China and the US, with a turnover of 226 million USD.

According to the Vietnam Trade Office in Korea, mango is a popular tropical fruit in the Korean market, along with bananas and pineapples, so demand is very high. By the end of August 2024, banana exports to Korea reached 35.4 million USD, nearly three times higher than the same period last year. Mango exports reached 24 million USD, up 72%.

In addition, other items such as dragon fruit, watermelon, shiitake mushrooms, durian and pineapple also recorded strong growth from 40% to 217% over the same period. In particular, the export of almonds, a Vietnamese nut, reached nearly 2 million USD, an increase of 244 times.

Mr. Hong Sun - Chairman of the Korean Business Association in Vietnam (KOCHAM) said: For Korea, domestic agricultural production costs are increasingly high, so the proportion of imported fruits from foreign countries is increasing.

Mango, durian and many other tropical products are familiar to Koreans and they are eating more and more. In the past, they would not eat them even if they were given them, but now they voluntarily buy and eat them. Therefore, Vietnamese tropical fruit products still have a lot of room in the Korean market.

Source: https://danviet.vn/quan-quan-trong-hong-o-han-quoc-da-ban-sang-loai-qua-ngon-nay-sang-thi-truong-viet-nam-20241009021827109.htm