In 2021, South Korea's total plum cultivation area was 6,256 hectares, producing a total of 30,191 tons.
Gwangyang City produced 8,423 tons on 1,358 hectares and Suncheon City produced 6,600 tons
on 1,209 hectares. In 2021, Gwangyang City was the largest producer in the country with 22% of the
nation's cultivation area and 28% of production. In 2020, the nation's total plum cultivation area was
8,487 hectares and total production was 40,122 tons. Gwangyang produced 6,400 tons on 1,493 hectares
and Suncheon 5,500 tons on 1,209 hectares. Hadong County produced 3,274 tons in 2020 and 3,021 tons
in 2021.

Gwangyang City ranks first in Korea in terms of area, production volume, number of participating
farms and income in all sectors of plum production. Last year, Gwangyang City ranked first in the country
for plum cultivation area, production volume, participating farms and income. 7,294 tons of plums
were produced on 1,325 hectares of land by 3,577 farms that earned 164 billion won.

Green plum exports started with 300 kg, worth USD1,000, of plums exported to Singapore in 2018,
followed by 8 tons, worth USD23,000, to Singapore in 2019, 2.5 tons, worth USD11,000, to Taiwan and
Singapore in 2020, 59.1 tons, worth USD108,000, to Belgium and France in 2021, and 54.7 tons, worth
USD99,000, to Belgium and France in 2022. In these five years, 124,728.4 kilograms were exported for
USD241,932. Gwangyang City based Bitgreen Maesil Co.,Ltd. exported 8 tons of plum by-products to France
for USD10,000 in 2019; in 2020, Hyeopsung Agriculture exported 1.8 tons of plums and by-products to Hong
Kong and France for USD25,000; and in 2021, 7 tons of processed plums were exported to France for USD12,000.

Gwangyang Cheong Maesil Farm has launched more than 30 types of processed products, including
plum beverages, plum doenjang, and gochujang. Its annual sales recently exceeded 5 billion won, and the
farm has exported processed products since 2003. In 2015, it exported 36 tons worth USD185,000 to the
US and 6.4 tons worth USD70,000 to the United States and Australia in 2017. By the end of last year, the farm
reached a cumulative export value of USD5 million. 

Suncheon City's POCOTERRA exported plum jelly, plum king seed Korea pancake, and pure plum extract to the US, China, Japan, Thailand, and Australia from 2019 to 2022, amounting to USD230,000. In Hadong County, exports amounted to USD150,000 over the three-year period from 2020 to 2022. SLOWFOOD Co., Ltd. exported products worth USD70,000 in 2020, USD14,000 in 2021, and USD50,000 in 2022. Individual farms also exported about 2-3 tons, worth USD50,000, to U.S. supermarkets annually.