South Korea targets becoming world’s top oyster exporter

The country presently ranks as the world’s third-largest oyster exporter, behind France ($140 million) and China ($120 million).

To realise MOF’s vision, the development plan contains three strategies to achieve the following two goals: increasing oyster production by 100,000 tonnes by 2030 (300,000 tonnes in 2023 to 400,000 tonnes in 2030); and doubling oyster exports by 2030 ($80 million in 2023 to $160 million in 2030).

“Unlike other seafood, oysters are widely consumed worldwide, making them a significant opportunity for Korean companies to enter the international market. With these measures, we will transform the traditional oyster industry into an automated, smart industry producing high-quality, safe oysters while strengthening Korea’s industrial competitiveness to become the world’s number one oyster exporter,” MOF Minister Kang Do-hyung said.

MOF’s first strategy – to improve production facilities and technological innovation – includes the plan to build an integrated complex for oyster farming and create a dedicated oyster farming port. Additionally, to increase the efficiency of oyster production processes, some 400 oyster plants could be scattered across the country’s major oyster production regions, such as Tongyeong and Geoje in Gyeongsangnam-do and Yeosu in Jeollanam-do. 

Essential facilities for oyster production, including seed production farms and processing plants, will also be established within the industrial complex.

MOF also wants to modernise the industry by establishing automatic and smart oyster production processes, with improvements made to working environments, including the supply of conveyor belts and customised equipment (shell removers, washers, automatic sorters, etc.) in shared workplaces and work vessels that can automatically harvest oysters at sea and perform primary washing, etc.

MOF’s second strategy – to expand South Korea’s market base – will include domestic oyster consumption promotions – partly through expanding the range of processed oyster products.

The ministry explained the intention is to support food processing companies in the production and sale of new processed oyster products and induce the diversification of the domestic oyster market, which is currently dominated by shelled oysters, by distributing various cooking methods using oysters. 

It will also drastically increase the check-off fund for oysters, which is only KRW 500 million at present, to strengthen the industry’s consumer promotion function.

At the same time, it will diversify its export markets, including entry into the European market, which MOF recognises prefers high-value whole oysters. To this end, the ministry will actively support the transition of general oyster farms to single (whole, intact) oyster production, increasing the proportion of these oysters from 1% of total production to 30% by 2030.

It will also expand the presence of Korea’s oyster industry in existing export markets such as the US and Japan, which account for 71% of total oyster exports. This, MOF said, will provide financial support to exporters in acquiring the international certifications required by importing countries to enhance export competitiveness.

Last but not least, through MOF’s third strategy – strengthening sanitation and safety – the ministry wants to accelerate the installation of facilities to prevent the penetration of pollutants from land and sea, preserve clean oyster waters, and produce safe oysters. 

It will increase the rate of sewage system coverage in oyster production areas and strengthen the education of small vessels on pollutant discharge.

Furthermore, an oyster shell recycling facility, completed in November last year, will enable the sanitary and eco-friendly processing of oyster by-products by repurposing oyster shells as auxiliary materials for steel mills, power plants, and construction materials.