SEOUL (XINHUA) – South Korea’s rice paddy area hit a record low this year amid a continued fall in domestic consumption, statistical office data showed yesterday.
The combined rice cultivation area stood at 697,714 hectares in 2024, down 1.5 per cent compared with the previous year, according to Statistics Korea.
The country’s rice field area stayed above one million hectares in 2004, before sliding to 815,506 hectares in 2014 and falling below 700,000 hectares for the first time this year.
Rice remains the staple food of South Koreans, but its consumption is on the decline due to changes in eating habits.
Meanwhile, the cultivation area for chili peppers reduced 2.6 per cent over the year to 26,436 hectares in 2024 owing to higher production costs.
