{
  "id": 19750022,
  "title": "Korea's rice production falls for 5th year in 2026 amid changing diets",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/13/koreas-rice-production-falls-for-5th-year-in-2026-amid-changing-diets",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-13T03:32:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/20261113/koreas-rice-production-falls-for-5th-year-in-2026-amid-changing-diets"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Korea's rice output experienced its fifth consecutive annual decline in 2026, as data revealed a 0.9 percent year-on-year decrease to 3.5 million tons. This marked the fourth-lowest level since the government started tracking the information in 1965. The cultivated rice area shrank by 1.1 percent year-on-year to 670,000 hectares, the lowest on record. Despite the overall decline, rice yield per 1,000 square meters grew by 0.2 percent year-on-year to 524 kilograms, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.\n\nRice remained a staple food in Korea, but consumption patterns have shifted over the past few decades. The government has been attempting to balance output management with encouraging farmers to diversify into other crops. The decline in production mirrored efforts to adapt to changing dietary habits. South Jeolla Province and Gwangju contributed 736,000 tons of rice, followed by South Chungcheong Province with 681,000 tons, and Northern regions.",
  "summary": "Korea's rice output declined for the fifth consecutive year in 2026 amid changing dietary habits, data showed Friday, with the cultivation area also reaching a new low. Rice production decreased 0.9 percent year-on-year to 3.5 million tons this year, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Data and Statistics. It marked the fourth-lowest level since the government began compiling the data…",
  "key_points": [
    "Korea's rice production fell 0.9% year-on-year to 3.5 million tons in 2026.",
    "Cultivated rice area shrank to 670,000 hectares, the lowest on record.",
    "Rice consumption patterns shifted, prompting diversification into other crops."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Shrinking cultivation areas and evolving dietary habits signal a structural shift away from rice as a primary staple, forcing a transition toward more diverse crop production across the country.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "S. Korea's rice production falls for 5th year in 2026 amid changing diets",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/13/s-koreas-rice-production-falls-for-5th-year-in-2026-amid-changing",
        "published": "2026-11-13T03:00:05.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}