China-produced kimchi has become a major support for South Korea after bad weather hit the domestic cabbage crop there. Cabbage output in South Korea shrunk to two-thirds of normal due to bad weather, and the price has soared to $7.81 per head from an annual average of approximately $4.17.
"The average export volume of China-produced kimchi to South Korea is about 10 standard containers a week," Li Qingxi, a cabbage supplier in Renzhao town of Pingdu city, East China's Shandong Province, said. The town has been crowned the "top kimchi town" as about 80 percent of the kimchi imported by South Korea is made there.
Li, who provides cabbage for local kimchi factories, noted that demand for kimchi has been high all year. "The export volume so far this year has seen a slight decrease from last year due to the pandemic and transport costs, but I'm positive about the future," he said.
