SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) — It is forecasted that South Korea’s rice production will drop by 2.1 percent in 2023 in comparison to the previous year, due to a reduction in the size of rice paddies, according to data released on Friday.
Statistics Korea reported that the total output of rice this year is expected to be 3.68 million tons, which is slightly lower than the 3.76 million tons produced in 2022.
The statistics agency attributed the decline to the fact that the total area of rice paddies has decreased by 2.6 percent from the previous year.
The South Korean government has been encouraging farmers to switch to other crops in an effort to control supply and stabilize prices.
However, due to favorable weather conditions, the average yield per 10 acres of land is projected to increase by 0.5 percent this year.
South Jeolla Province is predicted to be the highest producer of rice this year with 728,000 tons, followed by South Chungcheong Province with 720,000 tons and North Jeolla Province with 575,000 tons.
Rice is a staple food for Koreans, but its consumption has been steadily decreasing in recent decades due mainly to changes in diet.
In this file photo taken Aug. 21, 2023, a rice harvest is in progress at a farm in Cheorwon, 85 kilometers northeast of Seoul. (Yonhap)
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