South Korean Cultural Ecology - 1905 to 1990 - Part 1 "The Old Days" - Page 6

F. Rice and Land in the Korean Economy

Limited land resources constrain the expansion crop production. About 22% of the total national land is under cultivation. The coarse alluvial soil is easy to work and tends to drain well. They are suitable to dry land crops such as barley, soybeans, millet, and various kinds of vegetables. About 67% of the land is classified as forestland but a large portion does not have much forest growth. About 55% of the cultivated land is in paddy land rice production. The government attempted to expand agriculture by using tideland development but the cost was prohibitive. Increases in paddy land seem unlikely. Some high quality rice lands are being lost through urbanization and expansion of industrial plants. Increases in rice production will depend on raising the yield per unit of existing land.

Agriculture's role in the Korean economy has been declining in recent years, but it still accounts for 21% of the GNP in 1972. Rice constitutes 50% of the agriculture GNP. Rice accounts for about 50% of the total calorie intake. In household expenditures rice constitutes 17% of the urban households and 50% for farm households. About 50% of the gross receipts come from rice production. Farms with less than .5 hectare contribute 43% of the total receipts. From 1961 to 1972 rice consumption increased by 35% while the production increased by 25%, the difference was made up by imported rice. See Appendix page 27 for a chart showing rice production in contrast to the population increase. Increasing aggregate consumption, rapid economic growth, and the increase in income has wrought a considerable change in food consumption. Consumption has been shifting gradually away from carbohydrate sources to protein foods such as meat and processed foods. Expenditures for cereals were 34% in the average household in 1961 and declined to about 20% by 1971. For farm households it went from 47% to 36% during the same period. The per capita consumption of rice decreased from 135 kg in 1979 to 116 kg in 1991.