GOV’T WORKS TO BOOST MEAT CONSUMPTION

[Anchor Lead]

In the midst of high inflation, many people are finding it difficult to afford meat-based dishes. There has been a significant decline in consumption of live stock products as a result. To address such issue, the government has initiated a promotional campaign to offer discounts on live stock products. Similar events are planned to continue until the end of the year.

[Pkg]

At the meat section in a supermarket in Seoul, shoppers hesitate to put a pack of meat in their carts.

[Soundbite] Lee Ki-ja(Seoul resident) : "I bought beef only when it was discounted by 40% to 50%. But even that is getting increasingly burdensome. So, I am turning to chicken."

Despite a recent plunge in beef prices, it is still expensive for consumers to buy, as overall product prices had already jumped and continues to remain high. Prices of chicken, eggs and pork have also climbed to surpass those in previous years. Prices of some select products have dropped, compared to last year. But with a surge in prices of processed foods, which are considered daily necessities, consumers are reluctant to open their wallets to buy beef and other livestock products.

[Soundbite] Prof. Lee Eun-hee(Inha University) : "Consumers should tighten their belts due to rising product prices. They are unwilling to buy products that are deemed expensive."

In order to help ease the burden on consumers, the government hosted an event to offer discounts on livestock products. Discounts of up to 40 percent are offered on Korean beef and pork, with the government and farmers sharing the loss incurred from the discounts.

[Soundbite] Chang Mi-young(Seoul resident) : "I bought two cartons of eggs and beef. Both of them are certainly cheaper."

[Soundbite] Chung Hwang-keun(Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs) : "There are over 80,000 cows in excess supply. It is impossible to store leftover meat. So the best way is to promote consumption. Greater consumption is good for both consumers and livestock farmers."

This event ends on Tuesday. But the government plans to hold more similar discount events at supermarkets within this year.