Rice Farming Area Shrinks on Falling Demand

The size of rice farmlands here has continued to shrink over the years as Koreans' eating patterns have become more westernized, consuming more meat, fruit and vegetables in place of rice. Also, more farmers plant ginseng and other commercial crops rather than rice as its price is heading downward on rising imports from the United States, China and other rice exporting nations.

According to the National Statistical Office (NSO) Thursday, local farmers planted rice in 936,000 hectares of land nationwide this year, down 1.5 percent from a year earlier. The area under rice farming has declined 26 percent since 1987 when rice farmland reached its peak at 1.26 million hectares.

With dwindling farmlands, rice production has also declined over the years. Last year's rice production stood at 4.41 million tons, down 5.8 percent from 4.68 million tons in 2006.

Farmers in South Jeolla Province planted rice crops on 189,000 hectares of land, the largest in the country, followed by South Chungchong Province with 162,000 hectares and North Jeolla Province with 142,000 hectares.

``A drop in the size of rice farmlands is attributed to growing consumption of instant food, processed meals and rice substitutes such as bread and noodles, as more Koreans prefer to eat something fast and easy-to-prepare due to their hectic lifestyle. People are also eating more vegetables and fruit amid the rapid spread of healthy diets and lifestyles,'' an NSO official said.