Technique to maintain strawberries' freshness raises export competitiveness

Growers of fruits such as strawberries used to face problems in selling them overseas since they tended to spoil and decay easily.

The Rural Development Administration, however, introduced a technique in 2019 that maintained their freshness.

Cha Yun-kyung reports.

Since 2021, the Rural Development Administration has used the "controlled atmosphere technique" to maintain strawberries freshness for export markets.

The technique does this and delays spoiling and decay by removing oxygen while increasing levels of other "preservative" gases.

Introducing the CA technique, allowed growers to increase their shipments and also use container ships for exports as opposed to just air transport.

This saved distribution costs of up to 16 billion Korean won.

The simultaneous complex management technique, removes air from containers and introduces carbon and chlorine dioxides.

The former gives strawberries a firmer texture, while the latter prevents mold infestation.

This decreases decay of the strawberries by up to 20 percent.

"We can deliver high-quality products, and we can send as much as we can since the technique can maintain the freshness of the fruit."

The RDA spread the related technology to sixteen export centers for strawberries, as overseas shipments increased massively due to the introduction of the technology.

The amount rose 5-fold from 2007's 9-hundred-and-86 tons to 5-thousand-and-12 tons in 2024.

"We received a great response from importers and consumers, with strawberries being sold out within four days at markets they are shipped to."

The RDA is continuing to integrate management models to systematize the exports of strawberries.

Cha Yun-kyung, Arirang News.