SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's rice output was estimated to fall 2.1 percent this year due to the decreased cultivation area, statistical office data showed on Friday.
A combined 3,684,000 tons of rice, a key staple food for South Koreans, was expected to be produced in the country in 2023, according to Statistics Korea.
It was down 2.1 percent compared to 3,764,000 tons in the previous year, keeping a downward trend for the second consecutive year.
The lower rice production was attributable to the continued fall in rice paddies.
The size of rice paddies across South Korea declined 2.6 percent over the year to 708,041 hectares in 2023, marking the lowest since relevant data began to be compiled in 1975.
Consumption of rice in the country has been on the decline in recent decades owing to the change in eating habits. ■
