South Korea’s rice paddy area inched down 0.7 percent in 2022 from last year, as farmers opted to grow other crops due to falling prices of the staple grain, data showed.

The country’s rice cultivation area came to 727,158 hectares - slightly more than half the size of the US state of Connecticut - this year, compared to 732,477 hectares a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

The government has been prodding farmers to convert their rice paddies into fields for the cultivation of other crops as part of a greater effort to deal with a chronic supply glut, which has led to a downtrend in rice prices.

Wholesale rice prices have averaged nearly 49,800 won ($37) per 20 kilograms this year, down sharply from about 57,170 won last year due to falling consumption. (Yonhap)