Rice Paddy Area Expected to Reach Up to 689,000 ha This Year... "Over 10,000 ha More Reduction Than Initial Target"

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 23rd that the rice cultivation area for this year is projected to be between 683,000 and 689,000 hectares through the 2024 Appropriate Rice Production Measures initiated since February.

An official from the Ministry explained, "This represents an additional reduction of more than 10,000 hectares from the original plan (699,000 hectares) through strategic crop direct payments, utilization of local government budgets (including reduction agreements), farmland banks, and farmland conversion. Compared to last year (708,000 hectares), this is a reduction of 19,000 to 25,000 hectares."

(Photo for reference)

Initially, the Ministry projected the appropriate rice cultivation area for this year at 699,000 hectares, considering expected demand, and monitored the progress of regional rice production measures over the past four months. In particular, given the continued decline in the 2023 harvested rice prices, they actively promoted local government consultations, encouraged farmer participation, and enhanced on-site publicity.

As a result, a total reduction of 32,108 hectares in rice cultivation area was recorded: 22,881 hectares through the strategic crop direct payment system and local government budget utilization, 1,827 hectares through farmland bank purchases, and 7,400 hectares through farmland conversion. However, considering the area reverting back to rice cultivation after applying for the strategic crop direct payment and local government budget utilization, the actual projected rice cultivation area is between 683,000 and 689,000 hectares.

This additional reduction was achieved by expanding the strategic crop direct payment support items from paddy beans to include all legumes such as peas, mung beans, cowpeas, and red beans, and newly adding corn. The support unit price for legumes and powdered rice was increased by 1 million KRW per hectare, from 1 million KRW to 2 million KRW per hectare. Through an additional reduction of over 10,000 hectares, a decrease of more than 50,000 tons in 2024 rice production is expected. Utilizing this, the government decided at the Min-Dang-Jeong consultation held on June 21 to purchase 50,000 tons of 2023 rice for food aid to stabilize rice prices.

Choi Myung-cheol, Director of Food Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, "We plan to make every effort together with local governments, agricultural cooperatives, the Rural Development Administration, and rice producer organizations to stabilize supply and demand through appropriate rice production. We will also strive to ensure stable production during the harvest season by responding to disasters such as typhoons, monsoons, and droughts in summer, and by promptly controlling pests and diseases."