By Lee Hyeon-seung

As farm-gate rice prices keep rising, the government said on the 27th it will gradually release 150,000 tons of rice from its reserves.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said it convened the Grain Supply and Demand Stabilization Committee the day before to discuss a “rice supply and demand stabilization plan,” and as a first step will prioritize supplying 100,000 tons of 2025 rice. The timing for supplying the remaining 50,000 tons will be decided depending on market conditions.

According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS), the farm-gate price of a 20-kilogram bag of rice was 57,630 won as of the 15th, up 21% from a year earlier. Farm-gate rice prices have continued to rise year over year since August last year. Typically, prices hit a record high in October when new-crop rice ships and then fall, but this year the uptrend is continuing.

It is analyzed that some farms are withholding supply on expectations that rice prices will continue to rise. In response, the government last month supplied up to 60,000 tons of government grain and put on hold plans to purchase 100,000 tons of 2025 rice. As prices kept climbing afterward, it announced additional measures.

The government will supply 150,000 tons of rice through a lending method. During a period of rising prices, the government lends rice from its reserves to private milling companies and receives it back as new-crop rice after harvest.

Published Date: February 27, 2026