SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's rice production hit a six-year low this year, driven by a continuous decline in cultivation area, statistical ministry data showed Friday.
The country's total rice output stood at 3.508 million tons in 2026, down 0.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
It marked the fifth consecutive year of reduction, bringing the output to its lowest volume since 2020.
The drop was attributed to a decrease in the total rice paddy area, which fell 1.1 percent on-year to an all-time low of 670,000 hectares this year.
The rice acreage kept shrinking as the government pushed policies to curb overproduction, including direct payment programs for strategic crops and initiatives encouraging farmers to switch to other crops in rice paddies.
Meanwhile, rice yield per 10 ares added 0.2 percent to 524 kg this year on the back of favorable weather conditions throughout the growing season that helped minimize damage from pests, diseases and excess moisture. ■
