Making K-Food+ export path wider and more solid

Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mei-ling will make an official visit to Singapore and Vietnam from March 20 (Thursday) to March 23 (Sunday). Through this visit, she plans to pursue multifaceted cooperation, including expanding exports of agricultural products and animal medicines, strengthening cooperation in smart farming technology, and promoting K-Food globally. She will meet with high-ranking officials from each country to discuss practical cooperation measures, and she will also work to promote new export items and build a foundation for cooperation with local companies.

  K-Food  Influence Expands in High-Income Market Singapore

  Singapore is a high-income country with the world’s highest per capita gross national income (GNI) and a strategic market where our agricultural and food product exports continue to grow. Minister Song plans to have in-depth discussions with Damian Chan, the Director General of the Singapore Food Authority, on ways to expand exports of new items such as Korean beef and strengthen cooperation on food security.

  In particular, this year is a meaningful year as it marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Singapore, and to commemorate this, a K-food promotion event targeting Singaporean consumers and influencers will be held. Minister Song plans to create a venue to communicate directly with local consumers and widely publicize the appeal of Korean food and traditional liquor.

  Strengthening agricultural cooperation with Vietnam and promoting new export items, etc.

  Vietnam is our country’s fourth largest agricultural and food product exporter, and is a key partner country with which we are continuing close cooperation through agricultural official development assistance (ODA) and technology transfer. During this visit, we plan to discuss ways to expand agricultural and food product and veterinary medicine exports and to expand K-smart farms through a meeting with the new Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Environment, Do Duc Duy.

In particular, we will be actively promoting melons that will be exported to Vietnam starting this year, and we will examine the reactions of local consumers and lay the foundation for continuous growth. In relation to this, we plan to meet with local food companies directly to understand market trends and collect opinions from the industry, and we will also seek practical support measures.

  Assuming the Presidency of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)  and Expanding Cooperation on Food Security

  Minister Song Mei-ling said, “I think it is meaningful to visit Singapore and Vietnam, which are important cooperative countries, at a time when our country is raising its international status by assuming the chairmanship of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) for the first time in 20 years.” She added, “I will do my best to make this visit an opportunity to further accelerate the global advancement of our agricultural products and agricultural technology.”