Cutting of rice production

[Anchor]

How many bowls of rice do you eat in a day?

Our people consume less than two bowls of rice a day.

Rice consumption has halved in 30 years.

Even with government budget support, rice prices are not rising.

Ultimately, a high-intensity measure has been introduced.

Production reduction has become key.

The area for rice cultivation will be reduced by 80,000 hectares, about 12%.

However, some are concerned about a balloon effect.

Reporter Lee Soo-yeon went to the field.

[Report]

Lee Sang-yoon, who has been farming rice in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province for over 40 years.

Last year, he did not plant rice along the ridges by 3 meters.

Instead of leaving the entire field fallow, he practiced partial fallow on about 20% of the land.

The reduced income from planting less rice was partially compensated by Cheorwon County.

[Lee Sang-yoon/'Partial Fallow' participating farmer: "Removing weeds from the ridges is very easy, and since they compensate for the fallow area, it's fine. For us, it's very good."]

Starting this year, according to government policy, Cheorwon County must reduce rice cultivation by nearly 13% overall.

There is no income compensation for fallow land, and it is impossible to support all farmers with local government budgets.

It is possible to switch to eco-friendly rice or other crops, but the problem is that an immediate switch for this year is difficult.

[Lee Hee-jong/Cheorwon County Agricultural Technology Department Head: "Transitioning to field crops requires a lot of soil improvement and additional resources. The soil structure is difficult for immediate conversion to fields."]

There are also concerns about a balloon effect, where there is a surge in the production of strategic crops that can receive direct payment instead of rice.

The production of soybeans, a representative strategic crop, has already increased by nearly 10% last year.

[Han Seok-ho/Professor of Agricultural Economics, Chungnam National University: "If all the area is transferred without a market, the rice problem will expand, leading to other issues. There is a ripple effect like this...."]

There are forecasts that agricultural income may actually decrease this year if rice production cannot be reduced.

The government's plan to gradually leave rice prices to market principles is now on trial.

KBS News, Lee Soo-yeon.