"Up to 40% off cabbage and radish..."Should I put to rest during the kimchi-making season?

[Anchor]
Ahead of the kimchi-making season, retail prices such as cabbage and radish have not shown any signs of falling, increasing the burden of shopping carts.

The government has come up with measures such as supporting up to a 40% discount on kimchi vegetables and increasing supply, and attention is focusing on whether it will ease consumers' worries.

I'm reporter Hwang Bo Hye-kyung.

[Reporter]
It's a traditional market vegetable store.

Consumers preparing for early kimchi continue to visit little by little.

[Shin Soon-ae / Hwagok-dong, Seoul: Today, I'm going to buy radish kimchi and water kimchi. [Maybe it's because it's fall now, but it feels like the price has gone down a bit]

Wholesale cabbage prices have clearly fallen from 9,500 won in the middle of last month to 5,600 won at the end of this month.

The problem is still high retail prices.

These are representative kimchi ingredients such as green onions and radishes.

Prices have risen one after another due to poor crop conditions due to abnormal weather this summer,

In particular, the average retail price of a cabbage in the past week is 9,130 won, which is more than twice as expensive as usual.

There are only 14 main ingredients for kimjang, such as red pepper powder, garlic, chives, sea salt, etc.,
Even before making
kimchi, I'm worried.

[Kim Sung-hee / Hwagok-dong, Seoul: My mother bought red pepper powder, salted shrimp, and they said it was 1.2 to 1.5 times higher than last year.]

In the meantime, the government announced measures to stabilize the supply and demand of kimchi ingredients ahead of the full-fledged kimchi-making season next month.

First of all, we decided to increase the contract cultivation volume of cabbage and radish by more than 10% from last year, and to stock up on supplies that can be supplied immediately.

In the case of seasoning, 1,000 tons of imported peppers are released early to red pepper powder processors,
We plan to supply 500 tons of domestic garlic and onions directly to wholesale markets or large supermarkets
.

We also decided to encourage consumer discount events.

[Song Mi-ryeong / Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (YTN 'Economy PICK' appearance): In the case of agricultural products, it is 40% (maximum), so you can get a weekly discount from 10,000 won to 30,000 won (per person). And in the case of marine products, the schedule is a little different, but we offer a discount of up to 50% (maximum).]

The government said that cabbage and radish prices are expected to stabilize more after the middle of next month, and that it is better to prepare kimchi at this time.

I'm YTN Hwang Bo Hye-kyung.

Reporter for shooting
: Lee Seung-joon
Design: Im Saetbyul