Climate change could make South Korea a banana producer.
Climate change could soon turn the South Korean mainland into a producer of bananas, mangoes and passion fruit, it’s been reported.
Bananas already grow on sub-tropical Jeju Island off the southern coast, but farmers elsewhere are reporting successes, according to the daily Kyunghyang Sinmun.
Agronomists in Heunghae in the south-east of the country say « planting went smoothly » last year, and that farmers expect to harvest the fruit in mid-March, while their counterparts in Taean County in the south-west hope to gather their bananas in February.
Experts in both regions agree that the common factor is global warming. They have been experimenting with growing bananas and other fruit in greenhouses for years, but have noticed definite changes since last autumn.
Banana flowers appeared in Heunghae in November, and the authorities in the wider Pohang area see a chance to revitalise the regional economy, the JoongAng Ilbo daily reports.
