Total rice cultivation area stands at 670,000 ha; excluding supply-control rice, the figure falls to 659,000 ha

Area for table-use rice down 19,000 ha from last year; strategic crop payment budget expanded 72%

Government to assess crop conditions and inventory, with harvest-season stabilization measures planned for October if needed

This image is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]
This image is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]

The cultivation area supplying rice for table use is expected to shrink by 19,000 hectares this year compared with last year — roughly double the average annual decline over the past five years. The drop reflects the government's pre-emptive removal of 11,000 ha of "supply-control rice" from the table-use market, a measure introduced to prevent overproduction.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Thursday that total rice cultivation area this year was tallied at 670,000 ha, based on provisional 2026 survey results released by the Ministry of Statistics.

That is down 7,500 ha from last year's 678,000 ha. After subtracting the 11,000 ha enrolled in the supply-control rice program — channeled into processing rather than the table-use market — the cultivation area affecting table-use supply is estimated at about 659,000 ha, roughly 19,000 ha less than last year. The final figure may change depending on compliance checks for supply-control rice direct payments.

The supply-control rice system, introduced this year to head off oversupply before it reaches the market, requires participating farmers to deliver their harvest to rice processing complexes. In return, they receive direct payments and proceeds from the sale of the grain.

Rice produced under the program is not sold as table-use rice under normal circumstances and is supplied only for processing. Unlike the government's conventional post-surplus market intervention — buying up excess rice after it has already piled up — this approach separates the grain from the table-use market at the production stage. In emergencies such as a poor harvest, however, the rice can be quickly redirected for table use.

The 19,000 ha reduction in table-use supply area is about twice the average annual decline of 9,600 ha over the past five years. Year by year, rice cultivation area rose by 6,000 ha in 2021, then fell by 5,000 ha in 2022, 19,000 ha in 2023, 10,000 ha in 2024 and 20,000 ha last year.

The government has also expanded support under the strategic crop direct payment program to curb rice cultivation. The related budget grew 72 percent — by 175.6 billion won — from 244 billion won ($176 million) last year to 419.6 billion won this year. The ministry is also placing greater emphasis on managing supply at the production stage by introducing new categories such as supply-control rice, aiming to prevent oversupply from reaching the market in the first place.

Jung Hye-ryeon, the ministry's food policy director, said the government would "closely monitor weather conditions, crop yields, inventory levels and rice consumption trends to make a swift assessment of the 2026 rice supply-and-demand situation, and if necessary, draw up harvest-season stabilization measures in October to ensure market stability during the harvest period."


adastra@heraldcorp.com