Rice production costs up 6.5% last year

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)