South Korea will work to gradually reduce the area of rice fields to address falling demand while adopting environmentally friendly growing methods, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said on Thursday. Data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of South Korea show that due to changes in dietary structure, Koreans' annual rice consumption is decreasing, with per capita rice consumption falling sharply from 61 kilograms in 2018 to 56.4 kilograms in 2023.
"Relying solely on policies to stabilize supply and demand has limitations. Therefore, now is the time to seek a self-sustainable industrial system that operates under market mechanisms," South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement.
Although the total area of rice fields in South Korea is currently about 698,000 hectares, the government has stated that it plans to reduce the area of rice fields by 80,000 hectares next year.
Farms that reduce their rice fields will receive incentives, including government purchases of produce as reserves.
The government will also allocate 244 billion won (about $170 million) to provide subsidies to farms growing strategic crops other than rice such as wheat, beans and barley, an increase from this year's 186.5 billion won.
In addition, the area of environmentally friendly rice cultivation will be expanded from 35,000 hectares this year to 68,000 hectares by 2029.
South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said it will explore various ways to use rice to produce related products including traditional liquor and provide tax incentives to producers.
In order to further expand rice consumption, the South Korean government will also work to increase the export volume of processed rice from 100,000 tons this year to 180,000 tons in 2029.