S. Korea charters 88 flights to Singapore for strawberry shipments

South Korea's agricultural ministry revealed it has operated 88 chartered flights to carry a total of 958 tons of strawberries to Singapore over the December-April period to help local strawberry farmers ship their produce.

South Korea operated four chartered flights a week to carry 958 tons of strawberries last year through the agreement with Korean Air Lines Co.

The amount shipped reached US$15.2 million, up 21 percent from the same period last year.

South Korean exporters have been suffering from tight shipping services coupled with escalating freight costs due to the pandemic.

Singapore is the second-largest importer of strawberries from South Korea, bringing in 1,421 tons worth US$13.7 million in 2019, according to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp.

South Korea intends to continue penetrating deeper into other Asian markets as well, including Thailand, Hong Kong, and Vietnam.