Rice output slightly off despite bad weather

Korea’s rice production in 2011 is expected to drop slightly from last year’s crop because of unfavorable weather and shrinking farmland, a government official said yesterday.

The country’s rice production is expected to reach 4.26 million tons, compared to 4.29 million tons produced last year, according to government officials. “Crop yields are expected to be better than last year but overall production will probably drop from last year because the area of land for rice farming shrank from 890,000 hectares to 850,000 hectares this year,” the official said.

The government earlier expected a larger drop to some 4.18 million tons, citing unusually heavy rains during this year’s monsoon season.

Yonhap