S. Korea's food exports up 4.7 pct on-year in Jan.-April period: ministry

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's exports of foodstuffs and agriculture-related products increased nearly 5 percent from a year earlier in the first four months of this year, the agriculture ministry said Wednesday.

Exports in the "K-Food Plus" sector expanded 4.7 percent from a year earlier to US$4.43 billion in the cited period, Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung said during a Cabinet meeting. K-Food Plus is a term coined by the government to promote exports of Korean food and agricultural goods, including farm machinery and veterinary medicine.

The ministry has set an annual export target of $16 billion for the K-Food Plus sector this year on the back of the rising popularity of Korean culture.

The country exported a record $13.63 billion worth of food and agriculture-related products last year.

Exports to the United States rose 9 percent on-year in the January-April period, while those to China, the Middle East and the European Union increased 16 percent, 38 percent and 9 percent, respectively, according to the ministry.

nyway@yna.co.kr
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