Shine Muscat Price Plummets as Oversupply Turns It into Cheapest Grape
Creatrip Team
4 months ago
Shine Muscat, once nicknamed the ‘Hermès of fruits’ in Korea for its high price and premium quality, has seen retail prices tumble after a surge in production. As of mid-November, the average retail price for a 2 kg box was 11,572 won, down 19.1% from last year and 54.6% below the typical level. Prices that were 30,000–50,000 won in 2020 have fallen to about one-third of that. Larger planting areas and many farmers switching to Shine Muscat pushed up supply, but poor cultivation practices hurt overall quality, reducing consumer demand. This year Shine Muscat has become cheaper than traditional varieties like Kyoho (거봉) and Campbell Early (캠벨얼리). The Agriculture Ministry plans to promote appropriately sized, sweeter grapes, noting that extremely large clusters often have lower sugar content.
