Seasonal fruits in South Korea could become vastly different in the following decades, as warmer temperatures will gradually reduce cultivable areas for popular fruit crops here. Apples, grapes and pears could slowly fade into the background, while tropical fruits such as mangoes and passion fruit take center stage.
“We may not be able to see the change immediately. But, fruit crops that we will see at discount stores and traditional markets may change in the future. What we call seasonal fruits here may also change,” said Han Hyun-hee, a senior researcher at the Research Institute of Climate Change and Agriculture, a unit under the National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science.
According to the institution’s recent report, apples will be most severely hit by the climate shift. Apples will lose most of its cultivable areas in Korea by 2070, except some regions in Gangwon Province, the northernmost province in the country.
Subtropical regions, which account for some 6 percent of the country’s total land mass, could increase to account for 55.9 percent in 2050, the report said. The areas where seasonal fruits, such as pears, peaches and grapes, are able to grow will shrink as well, the report said. By 2090, peaches and pears won't be able to grow in most places except for some areas in Gangwon Province. Temperature-suitable regions for farming quality grapes will dwindle significantly starting in 2070, it said.
Source: m.theinvestor.co.kr