Could Powdered Rice Become a New Raw Material to Boost Processed Rice Consumption?

Last Year's Per Capita Rice Consumption 56.7kg... 12.9% Decrease Over 8 Years
Government Adopts Powdered Rice as a Tool to Revitalize Rice Processing Industry
Food Industry Supports with Launch of Powdered Rice Products

With the increase in single-person households and the spread of Western eating habits, per capita rice consumption has been decreasing every year, and the government is accelerating the distribution of powdered rice to promote rice consumption. Food companies are also keeping pace by launching products using powdered rice one after another.

Garussal Production Complex, Hwangsan-myeon, Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do.

Per Capita Rice Consumption Continues to Decline... Consumption of Processed Rice Shows an Increasing Trend

According to Statistics Korea on the 8th, the annual per capita rice consumption last year was 56.7kg, a 0.4% decrease compared to the previous year (56.9kg). Due to nuclear families, the increase in single-person households, and the spread of Western eating habits, the annual per capita rice consumption has steadily declined since 2015. As a result, the per capita consumption, which was 65.1kg in 2014, decreased by 12.9% over eight years until last year. On the other hand, the annual consumption of processed rice has been on the rise since 2014, with processed rice consumption increasing from about 534,999 tons in 2014 to 691,422 tons last year, a 29.2% (156,423 tons) increase.

The industry with the highest rice consumption currently is the rice cake manufacturing industry, accounting for 26.8% (185,079 tons) of total consumption last year. This was followed by 'Other processed and cooked food manufacturing for food use' at 20.9% (144,595 tons), 'Alcohol manufacturing' at 17.6% (121,775 tons), 'Other grain processed product manufacturing' at 9.3% (63,967 tons), and 'Lunchbox manufacturing' at 6.8% (47,045 tons). In particular, rice consumption in the processed and cooked food manufacturing for food use increased by 27.2% compared to the previous year, recording the highest growth rate. This is believed to be due to the increase in demand for retort foods, frozen foods, and semi-prepared foods as consumers enjoyed convenience foods at home due to reduced dining out caused by COVID-19.

Although rice consumption is decreasing, the increase in processed rice consumption shows the market's growth potential, and the government is also trying to use the rice processing industry as a breakthrough to revitalize rice consumption. The government is establishing various policy supports to revitalize rice consumption and strengthen the foundation for the growth of the rice processing industry, among which the representative initiative is 'powdered rice (Bunjilmi·粉質米)'.

Powdered rice refers to rice with a starch structure similar to wheat, suitable for milling, and unlike regular rice, it is a variety developed to be ground into powder immediately after harvest without soaking in water. A representative variety is 'Baromi2,' developed by the Rural Development Administration. Powdered rice has the advantage that it can be easily cultivated by domestic rice farmers since its harvesting method and form are the same as regular rice. Additionally, because it has properties similar to wheat, it can be used to manufacture various processed foods such as bread, noodles, snacks, and fried foods using wheat flour processing methods, which is expected to diversify and expand the market that has been centered on traditional rice cakes and instant rice.

Government Expands Powdered Rice Production... Aiming to Replace Imported Wheat Flour

The government plans to solve the oversupply problem of rice and increase food self-sufficiency by expanding powdered rice production and product development using it. Earlier, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced at the 'Powdered Rice Future Vision Declaration Ceremony' in April that it aims to revitalize the rice processed food industry using powdered rice to resolve the structural oversupply of rice and replace 10% of the highly import-dependent wheat imports to improve food self-sufficiency.

Specifically, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is operating 38 production complexes on 2,000 hectares with a goal of supplying 10,000 tons of powdered rice this year, and plans to expand the cultivation area of powdered rice to 42,000 hectares by 2026 in line with the increasing demand from food companies. Additionally, a budget of 7.1 billion KRW has been allocated this year to support the powdered rice industry, including expanding powdered rice production complexes, product development, and expanding sales channels.

Haitai Confectionery, Powdered Rice Oyes 'WithMi(with米)'

As the government promotes powdered rice, companies are also responding by launching powdered rice products one after another. SPC Samlip introduced two types of 'Migak Bakery Powdered Rice' (powdered rice bread and powdered rice financier) using powdered rice in August, and last month Haitai Confectionery launched 'Oyes With Me (with 米)' using Baromi2, while Sempio developed technology for making gochujang in collaboration with the Rural Development Administration.

A Haitai Confectionery official said, "Powdered rice Oyes is characterized by the convenience and economy of the processing process because it can be ground into powder immediately without soaking in water, unlike regular rice, and it actively utilizes the moist and soft texture advantages of powdered rice." He added, "We plan to develop more diverse products using powdered rice to revitalize domestic rice consumption and coexist with many farmers."

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