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(Yonhap) |
Rice production costs in South Korea rose 6.5 percent last year as rice output fell due to a record-long rainy season and typhoons, data showed Tuesday.
Farmers spent 31,082 won ($27) to produce 20 kilograms of rice last year, compared with 29,172 won the previous year, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.
The rise in costs came as a long rainy season and typhoons reduced the number of sunny days last year, reducing rice output to a 52-year low, according to the statistics agency.
The cost of cultivating rice on a 1,000-square-meter paddy inched up 0.1 percent to 773,658 won.
The gross income of rice farmers reached 1.2 million won per 1,000-square-meter paddy last year, up 5.5 percent from the previous year.
Rice is a key staple food for Koreans, but its consumption has been on a steady decline in recent decades due mainly to changes in diet and eating habits. (Yonhap)
