South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported Korea Customs Service data shows imports of lamb hit $151 million, up 81.5% from $83m in 2016.
In the first two months of this year inbound shipments of lamb surged 20% year-on-year to reac $30m. Over 91% of the lamb was from Australia, the data shows, Yonhap reported.
Yonhap reported barbecued lamb chops and skewered lamb with a mixture of spices have become ever more popular in South Korea in recent years, leading to more restaurants that serve Chinese-style roasted lamb, which used to operate only in local Chinatowns.
Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, meat importer and distributor Shilla International director Sean Kang said one explanation for the import surge is the increase of Middle Eastern workers and of the Chinese population in South Korea.
Another factor is the increasing number of lamb meat restaurants in South Korea because of higher demand as the country’s consumers get more familiar with the meat, perhaps through the Middle Eastern and Chinese resident populations, Kang said.
Also, as consumers’ life standards get higher they are able to afford more meat options, which has led to increased demand for alternative meat choices.
Lamb exporters eyeing the South Korean market should be wary, though, because import volumes were overly high last year and there is too much inventory in South Korea so prices have started to come down, Kang said.
“So, the forecast is not so hopeful but we’ll have to keep an eye on consumption this summer,” he said.
Asked why NZ lamb is so little in demand compared to the Australian product, Kang said “Price, price, price.”
Australian lamb is much cheaper than NZ Lamb.
“Although most NZ lamb quality is slightly superior the price gap is too big,” he said.
