Shine Muscat prices plummeted 71% compared to 5 years ago... Cultivated area also shows a downward trend

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Han Joo-hong = The price of Shine Muscat, once synonymous with high-end grapes, has dropped significantly, and the cultivation area has also begun to decline.

As consumer preferences are not what they used to be and complaints about quality, including sugar content, have arisen, production centers have stepped up quality control.

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation (aT) on the 4th, the average consumer price of 2kg (L) of Shine Muscat as of the 1st was 11,791 won, down 20.3% from the same period a year ago. It is 49.3% lower than the average price of the three years from 2021 to last year, excluding the maximum and minimum prices.

Compared to the price sold at 38,000 won per 2 kg in the same period five years ago, it fell by about 71%.

Even when comparing the price level with other grape varieties, the price of Shine Muscat has decreased. Geobong is priced at 20,045 won per 2kg, Campbell Early is 15,638 won (7,819 won per 1kg), and Shine Muscat is cheaper than Campbell Early.

As Shine Muscat gained great popularity, grape farmers rushed to cultivate it, and the area under cultivation, which had increased, has recently turned to decline.

According to the Korea Rural Economic Institute, the Shine Muscat cultivation area has steadily increased every year from 2,913 ha (hectare, 1 ha is 10,000 m2) in 2020.

However, after peaking at 6,307 ha in 2024, it decreased by about 7% to 5,877 ha last year. This year, it is estimated to be 5,228 ha, down 11% from the previous year.

The proportion of the total grape cultivation area also increased from 22.1% in 2020 to 43.1% in 2024, but decreased to 38.1% this year.

The reasons behind the price decline are the increase in supply and decline in quality due to the rapid increase in cultivation area. This has also had a significant impact on the increase in low-quality products as Shine Muscat is harvested and sold when it is not ripe enough to be released into the market first.

According to the 'Survey on Consumption Patterns of Major Fruits and Vegetables' published by the Korea Agricultural Research Institute in June, among consumers who have purchased Shine Muscat, 37.5% evaluated that 'quality has worsened', which was higher than the response that 'quality has improved' (24.4%).

The Korea Agricultural Research Institute pointed out that “consumer complaints about Shine Muscat are mainly focused on sugar content,” and that “it must be managed at the cultivation and shipping stages to ensure that the minimum sugar content standards are met at the time of shipment.”

It was also suggested that early shipment of grapes that are not sufficiently flavored should be prevented to prevent quality and price declines, and support should be provided to upgrade the quality control technology of production distribution centers.

In fact, movements to improve quality are continuing in production areas. The Korea Grape Association is encouraging farmers by hanging a banner saying that only Shine Muscat that weighs more than 700g and has more than 18 Brix (unit of sugar content) should be shipped from the production area. We are also planning to immediately discard and isolate products weighing less than 400g and less than 15 brix from the market.

There are also attempts to reduce cultivation itself.

An official from the Korea Grape Association said, "In order to increase the cultivation of varieties other than Shine Muscat, we are carrying out a project to support the cost of purchasing cuttings of varieties other than Shine Muscat."