S. Korea`s per-capita rice consumption falls to record low level in 2009

SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's annual per-capita rice consumption
dropped to a new low in 2009 as people ate more wheat and meat to supplement
their diet, a government report said Thursday.
The report by Statistics Korea said the average South Korean consumed 74.0
kilograms of rice last year, down 2.4 percent or 1.8 kilograms from the year
before.
The state statistical agency, which has been surveying rice consumption since
1963, said that after peaking at 136.4 kilograms in 1970, overall consumption of
rice has been going steadily downhill with two only moderate rebounds, one in
1979 and another in 1984. In 1984, annual per-capita rice consumption stood at
130.1 kilograms.
On a daily basis, the average South Korean ate 202.9 grams of rice, or about two
bowls of rice. This is a decline of 4.8 grams or 2.3 percent from 2008, the
office said.
Consumption of wheat, beans, barley and other grain products used to make bread
and noodles increased 2.5 percent on an annual basis to 8.3 kilograms, with total
grain consumption including rice reaching 82.3 kilograms -- a drop of 1.9
percent.
The agency said that while South Korea's rice consumption has been decreasing
over the years, it is still higher than in neighboring Japan and Taiwan.
Japan's annual per-capita rice consumption was 59.0 kilograms as of 2008, while
Taiwanese on average ate 48.1 kilograms of rice in the same year. In 2008, South
Koreans ate 75.8 kilograms of rice.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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