South Korea's rice will be exported to China for the first time.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Friday that it will hold a ceremony celebrating the loading of the first batch of South Korean rice exported to China at a container terminal of the Gunsan Port in North Jeolla Province later in the day.

The export of rice to China had been impeded until recently due to China’s complex quarantine requirements placed on agricultural imports.

A total of 30 tons of rice, to be shipped to China this time, will be loaded onto containers at the port Friday afternoon. The rice will pass customs clearance in China in mid-February and be sold through 69 branches of Lotte Mart in Shanghai.

The first batch of rice consists of six different types of rice products: Chucheong, Odae, Samkwang, Shindongjin, Bogwang and Saeilmi.