SEOUL, Aug. 29 (Yonhap) — South Korea’s rice paddy area dropped 2.6 percent in 2023 from the previous year due to a decrease in domestic consumption, Statistics Korea reported Tuesday.
The total rice cultivation area was 708,041 hectares, compared to 727,054 hectares in 2022. South Jeolla Province held the largest area at 149,896 hectares, followed by South Chungcheong Province with 131,643 hectares and North Jeolla Province with 107,383 hectares.
Rice is a staple food for Koreans, but its usage has declined in recent years due to dietary changes and eating habits.
The data also showed that the chili pepper cultivation area was 27,129 hectares, a decrease of 8.9 percent from the previous year, mainly due to rising production costs.
This file photo taken on Aug. 21, 2023, shows a rice paddy in Cheorwon, 85 kilometers northeast of Seoul. (Yonhap)
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