Why Korea takes rice production as national security strategy

Rice is the most famous, widespread food staple in the Republic of Korea, and its local production was enough to feed the 50 million population of the country for the past 50 years. Korean farmers, who traditionally receive government’s incentives in the provision of electricity, irrigation water, grow rice in all seasons, but they usually […]

Rice is the most famous, widespread food staple in the Republic of Korea, and its local production was enough to feed the 50 million population of the country for the past 50 years.
Korean farmers, who traditionally receive government’s incentives in the provision of electricity, irrigation water, grow rice in all seasons, but they usually plant it in April of every year and harvest it in late September or early October.
However, the production of the food commodity, despite its large consumption, goes beyond serving the mere penchant of rice consumption, but is taken by government to form part of its national security strategy against possible future starvation.
The Korean peninsula is surrounded by water and since after the 1945 division of the peninsula into North and South, the precarious relationship between the two neighbours made the latter to adopt the production of rice with even greater seriousness.
And to encourage domestic production for self-efficiency, Korea developed its own rice seed and a severe sanction was promulgated for either import or export of the commodity, ever since, with about 400 percent tariff on rice importation, according to Professor Hank Young Sung of the Seoul University.
He said: “Rice is critically sensitive in Korea. That is why we have as high as 400 percent of tariff on rice. The reason is that Korea is like an Ireland.
“North Korea, our enemy, has made South Korea like an Ireland with no more links to any country.
“Therefore, in case of any war, rice is being preserved to guard against starvation. Rice markets in Korea do not have to compete with other markets like Thailand due to, as I said, the 400 percent tariff.”
South Korea is 70 percent mountains, only about 19,240 km2, representing 19.4 percent of the total land is arable, suitable for farming, but the country was able to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production in 1977.
Foreigners have been banned from owning farmlands to protect small-scale farmers. Due to land shortage, the average ownership of farmlands in Korea is 1.5 hectres, but large-scale agricultural industries are only allowed to own not more than 10 hectres.
In the early 1980s, the country adopted an “Agricultural Policy in Rapid Economic Growth”, which aimed at increasing food production and modernising the production process.
Three areas were the main focus: creation and consolidation of farmlands, dissemination of agricultural technologies and high rice price policy.
Consequently, the formation of major rice production areas became evident and widespread in all parts of the country.
This was attested to by the16-member Nigeria delegation, in Seoul, during a countryside 6-hour journey from the capital city to Ulsan industrial city, last week.
Rice farms dotted every available space right from the outskirts of Seoul up to the final destination that crossed three out of the total nine provinces in the country.
Speaking with Daily Trust, KOICA staff, Mrs. July Lee, said: “You saw all the rice plantations all along the way. Koreans eat rice a lot and farmers get government’s support to encourage them.
“Even though our population is not much, 50 million, but our government doesn’t want to export the rice. All the rice we produce is for the local consumption. We don’t want to open the rice market.
“But recently, our government has asked WTO (World Trade Organisation) about possibility of starting international rice trading.”
She said rice stocks are being used by Koreans after the harvesting to produce local hats and shoes, with other parts reserved for the next planting season, as manure.
Leader of the Nigerian delegation, who is the principal economist in CBN, Dr Emmanuel Adamgbe, told Daily Trust that there is a wide gap between the two countries in term of rice tariff and its production.
“The tariff on rice in Nigeria used to be 100 percent, but it was brought down to 20 percent. For Korea, I think, they are doing this for national security. Rice is a staple in Korea and because of their hostile relationship with their North Korea neighbour, there is a chance that in case of an outbreak of crisis, in that regard, they have to protect it to avoid starvation.
“And for Nigeria, too, rice is gradually becoming a staple food but the challenge is that we produce a lot of rice but Nigerians don’t eat it all.”
Despite the attainment of self-sufficiency in rice production in Korea, the country imports every other agricultural product.
Mrs Lee said Korea is importing “banana from Philippines, orange from California, apple and water melon from the Middle East.”
However, as Professor Si hyun Park of Korea Rural Economic Institute said, rice consumption in the country has been on the downward trend lately, as the western fast-food is taking over the food market.
“The rice consumption has been decreasing quickly due to westernisation of food consumption habits and gradual increase of fruits and meat consumption.”
Park said that the annual production of rice has decreased from 130.5 and 120.8 percents in 1970 and 1990 respectively, to just 73 and 60 percent in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
Another factor behind the decline in rice production, said the professor, was the fast-approaching urbanisation that sees roads traversing through what used to be a rice farm as well as the farmers’ influx to cities.