On June 27, 2024, South Korea’s national plant protection organization—the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA)—officially announced that grapefruit from Texas had gained access to the country. 

The USDA stated that this market, which already imports grapefruit from California and Florida, is worth $5 million annually.

Speaking on this new market access, Chris Cockle, Vice President of import/export sales at Wonderful Citrus, told FreshFruitPortal.com that for many years, Wonderful's government affairs team and Texas Citrus Mutual worked hand in hand with the USDA to secure this new access to Korea.

"We look forward to educating and promoting our products in Korea as a strategic market to help diversify our export business," Cockle said. 

The company, which also participated in the opening of Vietnam for Texas grapefruits is looking forward to the opportunity of leveraging its full portfolio through its existing partnerships.

Along with the agreement on grapefruit, authorities also agreed on the export of fresh ginseng from Korea to the United States.

For export, fresh ginseng must come from plantations registered with the Korea Quarantine Center, adhering to strict export quarantine protocols, including fungal disease management, thorough screenings at export shipyards, and a final inspection by the Korea Quarantine Center.

Both agreements represent a significant advance in agricultural trade relationships between both nations, allowing them to diversify and expand the offer of fresh products.