"It Felt Like Just Yesterday When It Was Too Expensive"...Price of This Fruit Plunges 71% in Five Years

Price Drops 70% Over Five Years

Once regarded as a premium grape commanding high prices, Shine Muscat has recently experienced a sharp price decline, which has led to a reversal in its previously expanding cultivation area.

Shine Muscat. Getty Images

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) as of October 1, the average consumer price of Shine Muscat was 11,791 won, marking a 20.3% decrease compared to the same period a year ago. Relative to the average price for previous years, this represents a dramatic drop of 49.3%. The average price for previous years is calculated as the average over three years, excluding the highest and lowest figures from 2021 to last year. Compared to five years ago, when Shine Muscat sold for 38,000 won per 2 kilograms during the same period, its price has plummeted by approximately 71%.

Even compared to other grape varieties, Shine Muscat's price has declined. For example, Kyoho grapes are now 20,045 won for 2 kilograms, and Campbell Early is 15,638 won for 2 kilograms (7,819 won per kilogram), meaning Shine Muscat is now cheaper than Campbell Early.

The surge in Shine Muscat cultivation following its boom has also reversed course, with the cultivation area now declining. According to the Korea Rural Economic Institute, Shine Muscat’s cultivation area expanded steadily from 2,913 hectares in 2020 to a peak of 6,307 hectares in 2024. However, it fell by about 7% last year to 5,877 hectares, and is estimated to have decreased by an additional 11% this year, reaching 5,228 hectares. Shine Muscat’s share of the total grape cultivation area, which rose to 43.1% in 2024, is projected to decline to 38.1% this year.

The background to this price drop is attributed to increased supply driven by a surge in cultivation area, as well as declining quality. According to the “Key Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Behavior Survey” published by the Korea Rural Economic Institute in June, 37.5% of consumers who had purchased Shine Muscat reported that its quality had worsened. Most consumer complaints focused on sugar content. The institute stressed the need to prevent early shipping of grapes that have not yet fully ripened in order to curb quality deterioration and further price declines, and to support the advancement of quality management technologies at local distribution centers.

In practice, the Korea Grape Association has been encouraging farmers to only ship Shine Muscat grapes that weigh over 700 grams and have a sugar content of at least 18 Brix, posting banners with these standards in grape-producing regions. There are also initiatives to subsidize the purchase of cuttings for grape varieties other than Shine Muscat, in an attempt to reduce its overall cultivation.

Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, the main production area for Shine Muscat, has held policy discussions and agreed to only ship grapes with a sugar content over 16 Brix and bunch sizes between 400 and 1,000 grams. To avoid simultaneous market oversupply, they plan to control the timing of shipments through cold storage and utilize diverse sales channels including major retailers, online platforms, direct transactions, and exports in order to establish a stable distribution network. Overall, these measures are aimed at ensuring that only high-quality Shine Muscat grapes reach the market.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.