SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's rice output was estimated to fall 1.2 percent this year due to lower cultivation area, statistical office data showed on Monday.

A combined 3,657,000 tons of rice, a key staple food for South Koreans, was expected to be produced in the country in 2024, according to Statistics Korea.

It was down 1.2 percent compared with 3,702,000 tons in the previous year, keeping a downward trend for the third consecutive year.

The lower rice production was attributable to the continued fall in rice paddies.

The size of rice paddies across South Korea dwindled 1.5 percent over the year to 697,714 hectares in 2024, marking the lowest since relevant data began to be compiled in 1965.

Consumption of rice in the country has been on the decline in recent decades owing to changes in eating habits.

The per-capita rice consumption averaged 56.4 kg in 2023, the lowest since related data began to be compiled in 1962. Enditem

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