Local farmers operate tractors to plow a rice field in Miyang, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 12. Yonhap

Korea's rice output is projected to fall for the third consecutive year in 2024 due mainly to the decrease in cultivation area, data showed Monday.

Rice production is expected to fall 1.2 percent on-year to come to 3.66 million tons this year, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

If the output declines as expected, it will be the third consecutive yearly fall.

This year's envisioned decline comes as the combined size of rice paddies slid 1.5 percent on-year to a record low of 697,714 hectares, as the government has been implementing measures to balance supply and demand of rice, such as giving subsidies to farmers who raise "strategic crops," like wheat, beans and rice flour.

But the output per 100 square meters is likely to inch up 0.2 percent on-year to 524 kilograms in 2024, according to the agency.

Rice is a key staple food for Koreans, but its consumption has been on a steady decline in recent decades due mainly to changes in diet and eating habits.

Per capita average annual rice consumption fell to an all-time low of 56.4 kg in 2023, compared with a record high of 136.4 kg in 1970, data showed. (Yonhap)