Mini Vegetables

[Anchor Lead]

Food packaged in small portions has become widely available as more Koreans live alone. Even vegetables like cucumbers or bell peppers come in smaller varieties perfect for single-person households.

[Pkg]

Cucumber harvest is in full swing at this greenhouse. But these cucumbers are only about 10 centimeters long, or just one-third the size of ordinary cucumbers. Mini paprikas are grown in the next greenhouse. These baby-sized vegetables are priced between one and two dollars for 100 grams, which is two or three times more expensive than traditional vegetables of the same weight.

[Soundbite] Lee Seung-cheol(Mini vegetable farmer) : "We started shipping out mini cucumbers three months ago. So statistics show that they make me more money than ordinary cucumbers."

Smaller versions of onion, cabbage, sweet pumpkin, and carrot are also growing popular.

[Soundbite] Kim Su-gyeong(Consumer) : "Ordinary cucumbers tend to go mushy or spoil quickly once they're sliced. So I like smaller cucumbers better."

The Jeollabuk-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services has modified mini vegetable varieties from overseas to fit the Korean climate. And they plan to start distributing these smaller breeds to farmers next year.

[Soundbite] Park So-cheon(Wanju-gun Agricultural Technology Center) : "They're just as tasty and nutritious as conventional vegetables. The mini vegetables are just right for singer-person households or nuclear families."

Mini vegetables fancied by both one-person households and ordinary consumers are also being heralded as new lucrative crops for Korean farmers.