Status of wild grape cultivation and distribution in Korea focused on Paju City in Gyeonggi Province and Muju County North Jeolla Province

Wild grapes are grown throughout Korea as a short-term income crop of forest products, and a part of measure to deal with the Uruguay Round. Local governments are providing farm assistance and helping growers to construct facilities needed to grow wild grapes. However, this fruit is produced excessively, and not sold readily due to the difficulty in finding appropriate distribution channels in recent years. In this study, the level of wild grape production in Paju City in Gyeonggi Province and Muju County in North Jeolla Province, and distribution channels were examined to seek ways for the growers to gain more profits. The results showed that the growers need 1) systematic growing techniques to produce premium grade wild grapes, 2) the expansion of cooling facilities to store their product long enough for distribution without damaging the product, 3) support from the local government to recover from natural disasters and to assist processing facilities, and 4) on-going sales and promotion activities through various media, such as the Internet. Nonetheless, more efforts area needed such as discovering other income crops along with support for these growers, such as securing distribution channels for stable sales.