The Rural Economic Institute (KREI) of South Korea is an agency reporting directly to the Prime Minister of this Asian country, whose tasks are fundamental in terms of strategy development and decision making for that market's agricultural sector.
With the goal of sharing experiences and discussing issues to improve the marketing processes of Chilean fruit in South Korea, the Fruit Exporters Association of Chile AG, ASOEX, met with a group of KREI representatives.
The meeting was held at the offices of ASOEX and was chaired by Ronald Bown, president of ASOEX; Miguel Canala-Echeverria, general manager of ASOEX; and Christian Carvajal, Marketing Manager of ASOEX for Asia and Europe. KREI professionals Tae Woo and Kim Dae-Hee Chung were also present.
"These meetings are very positive for our industry, especially with agencies such as KREI, which plays an important role in the strategies and decisions made by the South Korean government when it comes to agriculture," said Ronald Bown, president of ASOEX.
Bown also stressed that the meeting was part of the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the Free Trade Agreement between Chile and South Korea, effective on 1 April 2004, and which defined a legal framework for the handling of tariffs on goods and services produced and exchanged between the two countries, as well as other aspects.
Some of the topics discussed include the project to increase the Chilean share in fruit trade within the framework of the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement, as well the one to speed up the phytosanitary processes for the entry of Chilean products to the South Korean market, as the current Asian regulations only allow for negotiations to be carried out for one product at a time.
Furthermore, the possibility of introducing tariff reductions to improve the competitiveness of Chilean fruit in South Korea was also discussed, especially in relation to citrus (oranges and lemons). Promotional initiatives to promote Chilean fruits such as table grapes, kiwis and blueberries, among others, whose entry to this market has recently been approved, were also in the agenda.
Lastly, it is worth noting that negotiations are currently underway for the entry of fresh cherries.
