SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's rice paddy area hit a record low this year amid a continued fall in domestic consumption, statistical office data showed Tuesday.

The combined rice cultivation area stood at 697,714 hectares in 2024, down 1.5 percent compared with the previous year, according to Statistics Korea.

The country's rice field area stayed above 1 million hectares in 2004, before sliding to 815,506 hectares in 2014 and falling below 700,000 hectares for the first time this year.

Rice remained the staple food of South Koreans, but its consumption had been on the decline due to changes in eating habits.

Meanwhile, the cultivation area for chili peppers reduced 2.6 percent over the year to 26,436 hectares in 2024 owing to higher production costs. Enditem

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