South Korea Grain & Cereals insights

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 18th that it plans to provide 150,000 tons of rice through the World Food Programme (WFP) this year. Korea became the first recipient country to become a donor country in the international community when it joined the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2009. Since joining the Food Assistance Convention (FAC) in 2018, it has provided 50,000 tons of rice annually. In 2024, the scale of food aid will be expanded to 100,000 tons, providing food to 7.67 million people in 11 countries including Africa and the Middle East. This year, the scale of support will be expanded to 150,000 tons, providing rice to 8.18 million people including refugees, forced migrants, and malnourished children in 17 countries including Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Central and South America. The government selected a total of 17 countries as beneficiaries of support, including nine African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Madagascar, Namibia, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, and Guinea-Bissau), four Asian countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Tajikistan), three Middle Eastern countries (Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria), and one Central and South American country (Cuba), taking into account the Global Hunger Index and the receptivity to Korean rice. This year, as the largest amount of support ever will be provided, support will be provided twice in the first and second half of the year, taking into account the food situation of the recipient countries and domestic logistics conditions. It will depart around April and October through four ports, including Ulsan, Gunsan, Mokpo, and Busan, and is scheduled to be distributed to beneficiaries starting in July 2025. Jeong Hye-ryeon, the director of international cooperation at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, “We will continue to expand the target countries and support items of the food aid project to contribute to overcoming the global food crisis.” Reporter Lee Min-woo minwoo@nongmin.com

[Reporter Jeongmin Koo, Korea Agricultural and Fishery Newspaper] The Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Provincial Council has called for the government to withdraw its unilateral policy of reducing rice cultivation area. Oh Eun-mi, a member of the Jeonbuk Provincial Council (Sunchang, Progressive Party), who introduced the resolution at the first plenary session of the 416th extraordinary session on the 11th, said, “The rice cultivation area adjustment system that is being unilaterally promoted while infringing on farmers’ farming rights must be immediately withdrawn,” and urged, “Specific and effective measures must be prepared at the national level to fundamentally resolve the rice supply and demand problem.” According to Oh, the government decided to introduce the rice cultivation area adjustment system starting this year in December of last year to adjust rice supply and demand, and the nationwide rice cultivation area reduction policy has been implemented.

[Reporter Seong-je Cho of the Korea Agricultural and Fishery Newspaper] Mungyeong City is supporting ‘Mungyeong Rice Consumption Promotion Incentives’ to restaurants in the city to promote local rice consumption. According to Mungyeong City, various varieties of rice with excellent taste, such as Ilpoom and Yeonghojinmi, are produced in the Mungyeong region. Mungyeong City said that through this support project, purchases of Mungyeong rice will expand to local restaurants, schools, hospitals, etc., which will increase the income of local rice farmers and also have a promotional effect for Mungyeong rice. Based on the ordinance on comprehensive rice measures, Mungyeong City plans to support incentives to restaurants and group meal facilities in the city with high rice consumption through this support project.