SEOUL, Aug 27 (NNN-YONHAP) – South Korea’s rice padi area hit a record low this year, amid a continued fall in domestic consumption, statistical office data showed, today.
The combined rice cultivation area stood at 697,714 hectares, down 1.5 percent 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 remained the staple food of South Koreans, but its consumption had been on the decline due to changes in eating habits.
Meanwhile, the cultivation area for chili peppers reduced 2.6 percent over the year to 26,436 hectares this year, owing to higher production costs.– NNN-YONHAP
