SEOUL– South Korea’s rice output fell 3 percent this year from a year earlier due to a sharp drop in precipitation and lack of sunny days, data showed Tuesday.
The country’s rice production came to 3.76 million tons this year, falling from 3.88 million tons tallied in 2021, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.
It marked the sixth straight year that the country’s yearly rice production stayed below 4 million tons.
The agency attributed the decline in rice output to a drop in precipitation, which fell 33.2 percent on-year during the early June-July period.
The duration of sunshine plunged 25 percent on-year over the early July-August period as well, further hindering the growth.
The decrease in the output also came as the combined size of rice paddy areas fell 0.7 percent on-year to reach 727,000 hectares, it added.
Rice is still a key staple food for Koreans, but its consumption has been steadily declining in recent decades due mainly to changes in diet.
Source: Yonhap News Agency