Lishui, Zhejiang edible fungi exports to South Korea hit a cold spell

It is reported that in 2015, Lishui City, Zhejiang exported 233 batches of edible fungi and vegetables to South Korea after inspection and quarantine, with a value of 14.4 million USD, a year-on-year decrease of 56% in value, and the export value has shrunk by more than half compared with 32.78 million USD in the same period last year.

At present, South Korea has achieved relatively high tariff rates on exports of edible fungi to our country. For example, a 30% tariff is levied on black fungus and a 40% tariff on shiitake mushrooms, causing the market prices of edible fungi to remain high. In response, in recent years, South Korean edible fungus enterprises have imported large quantities of production raw materials such as fungus sticks from our country, built their own edible fungus bases in their own country, and realized the shift from “importing” to “self-production,” avoiding high tariffs and causing orders to flow back one after another. However, it is worth mentioning that with the implementation of the China-South Korea Free Trade Agreement, South Korea's tariff on black fungus exported to our country will decrease by 1.5% each year and will be reduced to zero within 20 years, but black fungus accounts for only 1% of edible fungi exported to South Korea, while shiitake mushrooms, which account for 30%, currently have no tariff reduction or exemption preference.

In response to the current “cold spell” encountered by Lishui City's agricultural products exported to South Korea, the Lishui Inspection and Quarantine Bureau will continue to do a good job in support services and regulatory management to promote the sustained and stable development of edible fungus exports.