Offices from MAFRA and aT hold a strategic meeting designed to expand exports under the New Northern Policy Market initiative at a newly opened aT branch in Vladivostok on July 11. (Photo: aT)

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and Korea Agro-fisheries & Food Trade Corp. (aT) are accelerating efforts to help Korean agro-fisheries and food industries strengthen its their presence in the “New Northern Policy Market” initiative by getting a foothold in Vladivostok, Russia.

MAFRA and aT established a new aT branch in Vladivostok on July 11 and held a strategic meeting designed to expand exports under the New Northern Policy Market initiative.

Vladivostok is a major city in the Far East region of Russia, and a gateway to Korea’s advancing to Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and other New Northern Policy Market initiative countries, as well as Europe.

Early this year, aT set up a “pilot office” in Mongolia and Poland, and the corporation has complemented a regime on the implementation of the New Northern Policy Market initiative by adding a branch office in Vladivostok this time.

The move is designed to diversify Korean agro-fisheries and food export markets focusing on Japan, China and the United States, to Russia, Central Asia and other New Northern Policy Market initiative countries.

aT plans to establish “K-Fresh Zone” in Vladivostok to publicize Korean agro-fisheries and food exports via the social network service network. The corporation plans to open a “K-Food publicity booth” in conjunction with the K-Content Expo, to be held in Moscow from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4, and host the K-Food Fair slated for October in Vladivostok as part to efforts to create local demand and consumption base.

About 20 Korean food makers which have advanced to Vladivostok, buyers, MAFRA and aT officials participated in the strategic meeting on the New Northern Policy Market initiative. The participating Korean food companies cited exorbitant logistics costs as one of the biggest woes and problems they have experienced there.

The participants also complained about difficulty in gaining access to local large-sized distribution networks. They suggested aggressive sales promotion activities to promote the superiority of Korean-produced agro-fisheries and food exports.

In a related development, starting the second half of the year, aT plans to implement projects such as the establishment of a joint logistics center to reduce logistics costs, and joint air cargo support & sales promotion events connected with local hypermarkets, and continued publicity activities via SNS.

Outcomes of the strategic meeting are to be shared at a forum on export strategies under the New Northern Policy Market initiative and be reflected in the course of the establishment of policies related to the initiative.

aT President Lee Byung-ho said, the New Northern Policy initiative agro-fisheries and food market is an untapped one worth $340 million annually, but it is an significant market that could be expanded to the Eurasia.” aT plans to establish a new blueprint to expand exports under the New Northern Policy Market initiative by reviewing and reflecting the matters discussed in the strategic meeting, he added.