Hamyang ships 200 tonnes of onions to Taiwan as South Korean supply rises
Hamyang County and Jigok Agricultural Cooperative have shipped about 200 tonnes of onions to Taiwan after favorable weather and lower pest pressure boosted production. The exports form part of 1,457 tonnes shipped overseas by the county since June 4 to ease pressure on South Korea’s domestic market.
Exports used to remove surplus from the market
Hamyang County in South Korea’s South Gyeongsang Province has shipped about 200 tonnes of locally grown onions to Taiwan as local authorities and agricultural cooperatives respond to an increase in production and the risk of falling domestic prices. Point Economy reported that favorable weather and reduced pest and disease pressure produced a sharp rise in this season’s onion crop.
The county said on the 18th that it had held a Taiwan export shipment ceremony on the morning of the 16th at Jigok Agricultural Cooperative’s agricultural produce distribution center. About 20 people attended, including representatives of local institutions and organizations as well as onion growers. The shipment was organized to secure an additional sales channel for farmers while taking supply out of the domestic market before inventories could exert heavier pressure on prices.
Planning began before the harvest reached the market
Jigok Agricultural Cooperative began preparing an overseas export plan in May after anticipating that a bumper crop would increase the burden on growers, according to Point Economy. It coordinated the program with the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation’s Gyeongnam regional headquarters and NH NongHyup Trading, which provided the institutional and commercial framework needed to place the onions in Taiwan.
The first shipment under the program, totaling 24 tonnes, left on the 9th. By the time of the ceremony on the 16th, cumulative shipments of Hamyang onions to Taiwan had reached approximately 200 tonnes. The sequence shows that the ceremony marked an export program already under way rather than a single symbolic consignment.
County-wide onion exports reach 1,457 tonnes
The Taiwan deliveries are part of a broader export campaign. Hamyang County opened its onion export season on June 4 and has since shipped a total of 1,457 tonnes to overseas markets through cooperation among the county administration, NongHyup Agribusiness Group and NH NongHyup Trading. The report did not identify the other destination markets, shipment prices or the value of the contracts.
For Hamyang’s growers, the immediate objective is to diversify sales and reduce the volume competing in South Korea’s domestic wholesale market. Exporting does not eliminate the larger crop, but it can moderate local supply pressure when shipments are completed before surplus onions accumulate. The approach also depends on the county’s onions remaining competitive on quality and price in external markets.
Hamyang County Governor Jin Byeong-young thanked farmers and cooperative officials for producing and marketing the crop during extreme heat. He said the county would provide policy support so that the Taiwan business develops into a stable and sustainable export base for Hamyang agricultural products rather than remaining a one-off event. No additional target volume, future shipment schedule or financial support amount was disclosed.
