South Korea’s rice output fell 3 percent this year from a year earlier due to a sharp drop in precipitation and lack of sunny days, data showed.

The country’s rice production came to 3.76 million tons this year, falling from 3.88 million tons tallied in 2021, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

It marked the sixth straight year that the country’s yearly rice production stayed below 4 million tons.

The agency attributed the decline in rice output to a drop in precipitation, which fell 33.2 percent on-year during the early June-July period.

The duration of sunshine plunged 25 percent on-year over the early July-August period as well, further hindering growth. (Yonhap)