[Public Voices] The Journey to Find New Paths for Rice Consumption

Gwak Doyeon, Director of the National Institute of Crop Science, Rural Development Administration.

There was a time when the movie line "Are you eating well?" was popular. It is a greeting that asks about a peaceful daily life, not just a simple meal. It is also connected to the newly coined term "Aboha," meaning a very ordinary day representing a smooth and uneventful life. Rice is an essential element in the strength that fills an ordinary day.

Tteok, a traditional snack made from rice, has been a part of our culture for many years and is also a symbol of celebrating special occasions. Still, to wish for abundance and good fortune, rice cakes such as Baekseolgi for a baby's 100-day celebration, Chapssaltteok for the college entrance exam, and Sirutteok for moving day are shared to commemorate special days. Every year on November 11th, known as "Farmers' Day" and "Garaetteok Day," a culture of sharing garaetteok continues to express gratitude for farmers' hard work and to promote the excellence of our grains.

However, rapid industrialization and lifestyle changes have significantly decreased rice consumption. Over the past 30 years, consumption has nearly halved, with per capita rice consumption last year reaching only 56.4 kg. To stabilize rice supply and demand, the government announced a plan to isolate a total of 200,000 tons of surplus production. Additionally, next year, 300,000 tons of government rice stocks will be specially disposed of for feed use to ease inventory burdens. Furthermore, to solve the problem of rice overproduction, efforts are underway to shift to various quality-centered production systems, reduce cultivation areas, and seek fundamental measures including creating new demand for rice processed foods.

Alongside this, the government is promoting a policy project to "revitalize the rice processing industry using rice flour" to resolve the current rice supply surplus and partially replace wheat flour demand with rice, thereby reducing import dependence. Rice flour is expanding market channels in various rice processing industries such as noodle making, confectionery, and baking due to its excellent processing suitability.

As another effort, research and development to expand rice exports are being strengthened. Korea's first Japonica long-grain rice, "Ami Rice," was exported in collaboration with Dangjin City to four countries?Singapore, Canada, the Netherlands, and Mongolia?with a total of 58 tons. The National Institute of Crop Science is developing new Japonica long-grain rice varieties exclusively for export, and through continuous R&D, it is expected to contribute to stabilizing rice supply and demand in Korea. Reflecting the recent increase in foreigners residing in Korea, research will begin next year to target both domestic and export markets for Indica long-grain rice (long and non-sticky rice). The scale of domestic cultivation of long-grain rice will be expanded, and consumption channels will be broadened through the development of new varieties.

Consumption channels through cultural influence should also be noted. Starting with the popularity of K-pop, and following Korean content such as "Parasite" and "Squid Game," there has been growing interest in Korean popular culture overall, including Korean food. Actively embracing these changes of the times, it is necessary to develop products that diversify rice consumption with the spirit of "On-go-ji-shin (?故知新)"?learning new things by studying the past?rather than merely preserving tradition. If we consider modern approaches reflecting changing trends together, new opportunities to promote rice consumption can be sought.

It is said that a farmer’s hands touch a single grain of rice 88 times before it is harvested. To ensure that these countless touches are not in vain, we hope that ordinary daily life will also ripen deeply along with the abundance of the seasons.

Gwak Doyeon, Director of the National Institute of Crop Science, Rural Development Administration