(SEOUL=NEWSIS) The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) will strengthen its efforts to attract investment from Chinese food companies in Korea’s national food cluster.

Eleven Chinese food companies have signed investment agreements with the national food cluster. Two of them have completed the foreign investment notification process to move to the cluster.

MAFRA expects trade and investment between Korea and China to expand with the official signing of the free trade agreement between the two countries. Therefore, it plans to act proactively to attract Chinese food companies to invest in the national food cluster.

The ministry has sent an investment promotion team to Yantai City in China to attract Chinese food companies.

The team participated in the tenth East Asia International Food Trade Expo 2015, the largest food expo in the city, and ran a booth for one-on-one consultations and to give a presentation on the investment appeal of the national food cluster to local food companies, government officials and the press.

MAFRA will also capitalize on K-Food Fairs in foreign countries to promote marketing activities for agricultural food exports and attract investment in the national food cluster.

lst0121@newsis.com