S. Korea's farm, fisheries exports edge down

By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, July 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's farm and fisheries exports inched down
annually in the first seven months of this year due to a drop in overseas demand,
the government said Thursday.

Overseas shipments of agricultural and fisheries products totaled US$2.29 billion
for this year as of July 21, down 0.9 percent from the same period last year, the
Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.
"The slight drop can be attributed to the global economic slump, which hurt trade
across the board, and generally weak prices for both fresh and processed foods,"
said Byun Sang-moon, a ministry official.
For the second half, the ministry expected positive growth with shipments to
China and Russia likely to rebound from sharp losses in the first half.
The government aims to export $5.3 billion worth of local farm and fisheries
products for all of this year, up about 20 percent from the $4.4 billion recorded
in 2008.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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