Seoul: South Korea's rice output has recorded the second-lowest level so far this year, attributed to record-low rice paddy areas, according to statistical office data.

According to Namibia Press Agency, rice production totaled 3,539,000 tons, showing a decrease of 1.3 percent from the previous year. This figure represents the second-lowest yield, continuing a four-year trend of declining rice production. The lowest recorded output was 3,507,000 tons in 2020.

The reduction in rice output this year is primarily due to the decrease in cultivated areas. The size of rice paddies across South Korea decreased by 2.9 percent over the year, totaling 678,000 hectares, which is the lowest since data collection began in 1975.

The decline in rice cultivation is occurring alongside a shift in eating habits, with the country's rice consumption generally declining over the past decades.