Trend of Domestic Fig Industry and its Implications

Abstract

Fig is a fruit of which the flesh is very sweet, and it is a tree which has been grown for fruit in Korea since long time ago. However, since the flesh of fig tends to be easily softened, commercial cultivation of this fruit began later than that of other fruit trees grown for profit, however, the cultivation and demand of fig tend to be increased steadily due to the development of technology for storage and distribution since the 2000s. In addition, as the domestic dining culture is getting diversified, the dishes cooked by using fig as a food material are introduced through diverse foods including dessert, and it is possible to intake fig in diverse ways, but not through the traditional processed food. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a measure of expanding the consumption of fig as a processed food, and it will be possible to overcome the limitation of short storage period, while securing the competitiveness of the fig industry. In this research, we have studied the history of domestic fig cultivation, current status of it and status of processed foods through related documents and materials, and the characteristics of the consumers who purchase figs. Fig is a traditional fruit, however, we could find out the fact that the consumers tend not to recognize it as a traditional one. Therefore, if we could add fig to various processed foods utilizing its sweet taste, rather than increasing the consumption of fresh fruits, it may increase the consumption of it.