South Korea’s imports of frozen fruit products hit a new record in 2023, data showed Sunday, amid the growing burden on consumers to purchase fresh goods due to lingering inflation.

The country’s imports of frozen fruit products came to 64,000 metric tons in 2023, up 6 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea Rural Economic Institute.

In 2023, prices of agricultural, livestock and fishery products climbed 3.1 percent on-year. Of major items, the prices of apples and tangerines spiked 24.2 percent and 19.1 percent, respectively.

In a survey conducted by the institute in December involving 500 local consumers, 38 percent responded that they had purchased frozen fruit products as they were easier to preserve.

The survey further revealed that frozen blueberries were the preferred choice for 30 percent of the respondents, followed by mangoes at 22 percent. (Yonhap)