This Year's Rice Production 3,507,000 Tons... Lowest in 52 Years

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Due to the prolonged rainy season and typhoons, this year's rice production was found to be the lowest in 52 years.

According to the "2020 Rice Production Survey Results" announced by Statistics Korea on the 12th, this year's rice production was 3,507,000 tons, a 6.4% decrease from last year (3,744,000 tons). This is the lowest level since 1968 (3,200,000 tons). Rice production, which had been increasing from 2012 to 2015 (4,327,000 tons), has been declining since 2016 and has shown a decreasing trend for five consecutive years up to this year.

The rice cultivation area was 726,432 hectares, down 0.5% from last year (729,814 hectares). Statistics Korea attributed this to the reduction of farmland due to building construction, public facilities development, and the government's support projects for cultivating non-rice crops on paddy fields.

Yield per 10a (are, 100㎡) decreased by 5.9%, from 513 kg last year to 483 kg this year. This is interpreted as an effect of increased rainfall caused by the prolonged rainy season and typhoons.

Production by city and province ranked as Jeonnam (688,000 tons), Chungnam (678,000 tons), and Jeonbuk (556,000 tons), among others.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.