Too hot to handle: South Korean kimchi under pressure as heatwave drives up cabbage prices
Rising summer temperatures are destabilising supply of cabbage, a key ingredient of kimchi that many Koreans eat every day
The price of a single cabbage hit 9,337 won (US$7.02) on Thursday – up by 69.1 per cent from the same day a year ago, according to data released by the state-run Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation.
Cabbage is a key ingredient of kimchi, the country’s famed fiery fermented dish which many Koreans eat every day.
Experts say rising summer temperatures are leading to supply instability – especially for highland cabbage, which thrives in cooler climates.
“Additionally, climate change has changed the patterns of soil disease outbreaks,” said Lee Young-gyu, a virologist at the National Institute of Crop Science.
“For instance, soil-borne fungal diseases like root rot, which causes wilting in cabbage, are spreading,” he told AFP.
Lee said there have also been reports of seedlings perishing from the extreme heat, or being scorched by the intense sunlight.