In the first 7 months of 2019, South Koreas exports of agricultural products moved up 0.7 percent from a year earlier. The shipments to Japan remained steady, despite the growing trade dispute between the two neighbors, a government ministry said Thursday.

Asias fourth-largest economy saw its exports of agricultural goods reach US$4 billion in the January-July period, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The figure excludes fishery products. Shipments of ginseng, strawberries and tomatoes increased, while those of paprika and pears decreased over the cited period.

Exports of farm goods to South Koreas top three trading partners -Japan, China and the US- maintained a solid growth, accounting for a whopping 47.3 percent of the total outbound shipments, according to the ministry.

South Koreas exports of agricultural goods to Japan reached $820 million in July alone, up 4.7 percent from a year earlier, the ministry data showed. The figure was significant as South Korea and Japan have been engaging in an unprecedented trade row after Tokyo slapped export restrictions on key industrial material against Seoul starting last month.