The size of rice paddies in South Korea fell 1.5 percent on-year to hit an all-time low in 2024, data showed Tuesday, Yonhap reports. 

The country’s rice paddies totaled 697,714 hectares in 2024 compared with 687,416 hectares a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea.

The figure has been on a constant decrease, dropping from more than 1 million hectares in 2004 to 815,506 in 2014.

The downturn came as the government has been implementing measures to balance supply and demand of rice, such as giving subsidies to farmers who raise “strategic crops,” like wheat, beans and rice flour.

Rice is a key staple food for Koreans, but its consumption has been on a steady decline in recent decades due mainly to changes in diet and eating habits.

The per capita annual rice consumption fell to an all-time low of 56.7 kg in 2022, compared with a record high of 136.4 kg in 1970, according to government data.

Published Date: August 27, 2024