Seoul - South Korea's arable land area has declined for the eleventh consecutive year in 2023, continuing a trend influenced by the country's decreasing rice consumption. The total arable land in South Korea was reported to be 1.51 million hectares at the end of 2023, marking a 1.1 percent decrease or a reduction of 16,000 hectares from the previous year, as per data released by Statistics Korea on Tuesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the rice paddy area, which accounts for over half of the total arable land, saw a 1.5 percent decrease to 764,000 hectares last year. Additionally, dry fields used for other agricultural productions experienced a 0.6 percent decline to 748,000 hectares. This ongoing reduction in arable land since 2013 reflects broader shifts in the South Korean diet and eating habits, including a significant drop in rice consumption. In 2023, the average South Korean consumed 56.4 kilograms of rice, the lowest amount on record, indicating a 0.6 percent decrease from the previous year.