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Smooth Move Into South Korea
 It’s been a long, rather costly time in the making but certainly worth the wait.
That’s how officials from the Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Blueberry Commission are labeling the first ever shipments of fresh Oregon blueberries into the Land of the Morning Calm.
For ten years now the South Koreans, the Oregon blueberry industry and ODA, among others, have been laying the groundwork for this to happen. The achievement is even more monumental when you consider that Oregon is currently the only state in the union to be so recognized.
During this inaugural year, nine Oregon blueberry handlers and many of the 50 growers who signed up for the program took part in the venture. Deliveries, all of which were made by air, totaled 488,401 pounds, which was very close to the 500,000-pound target this first year.
Except for a “little hiccup here and there,” everything ran smoothly, said ODA Commodity Inspection Administrator Jim Cramer. This is quite remarkable when you consider the rather stringent phytosanitary requirements that were in place.
“I would say this year was a great success, everything went beautifully, all the pieces fell into place,” said Oregon Blueberry Commission Administrator Bryan Ostlund, who, along with Cramer and ODA, is credited with opening the door to South Korea.
Ostlund said judging the first year of the program solely in terms of the rather skimpy volume of berries moved is wrong. How the participants interacted with one another is much more significant, he said, mainly because parties on both sides of the ocean were in unfamiliar territory. “There was just too much going into it that was all brand new for everybody.”
The only negative during the first year of the program was the 45 percent tariff put on fresh berries by the South Koreans. However, this duty will be decreasing by equal amounts each year for another ten years until it reaches zero.
One of the requirements for the export of blueberries was that handlers and growers be inspected by a South Korean representative, who fulfilled that mission in four days. She was accompanied by third-party Oregon consultants.
Shipments to South Korea began in early July and wrapped up in early October. Because global demand for blueberries remains strong, Cramer said that prices were “pretty solid.”
While first-year shipments were not that huge, they did lay the groundwork for further trade with South Korea, Cramer said. “I think (handlers and growers) are saying ‘we are glad we made the investment.’”
He added that because of the higher than normal costs involved in the program (spraying and trapping, special labeling, inspector expenses, etc.), profit margins were below normal.
Cramer said that while other U.S. states are eyeing South Korea, Oregon’s concerns are not all that high for the time being.
He added that the South Koreans, who love blueberries due in large part to their health benefits, have also given fresh Chilean blueberries the green light into their country during our off-season. This should only bolster consumption year around.
Cramer, Ostlund and several others plan on making a follow-up visit to South Korean in November.
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