With continued demand for instant noodles, South Korean retailers recorded an increase of sales of raw products, data showed Friday. 


One major food company in that business is Pulmuone, which saw 844 million won ($780,000) of sales of ready-to-cook raw noodle products last year, 11.4 percent jump from the previous year. 

Pulmuone currently tops the local raw noodle market with a 27 percent market share as of 2017. 

While udon noodles -- a 230 billion won market -- dominate the raw noodle section, demand for instant noodles will only grow as raw Italian pasta, Japanese soba and Vietnamese noodles enter the market, Pulmuone said.

According to a report from Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corp., at least 310,000 metric tons of instant noodles, not counting ramen, were shipped as of 2017, a 60 percent increase from 190,000 ton of shipments in 2011. 

The report said the overall growth in raw noodle production was attributable to product variations that are convenient and ready to eat.

Another data from AT showed that the local HMR market expanded 35 percent from 1.7 trillion won in 2013 to 2.3 trillion won in 2016, marking double digit growth each year. As of last year, the market had continued its momentum to 3 trillion won.

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)