By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter

A group of more than 30,000 farmers staged a mass rally in central Seoul, Tuesday, calling for the government to come up with a fundamental solution to plummeting rice prices, particularly in light of the Lee Myung-bak administration's suspension of rice aid to North Korea.

It was the latest in a series of demonstrations by farmers nationwide to protest the Lee administration's ineffective measures to stabilize rice prices.

"The government's decision to suspend rice aid to the North has led to a dramatic increase in rice stock, causing prices to fall," a representative for the National Farmer's Convention said during a rally in Yeouido, stressing that the excess reserves of rice are one of the primary causes of the steep drop in prices. The previous Roh Moo-hyun administration sent 400,000 tons of rice, roughly one-tenth of the country's annual output, to North Korea annually.

Some frustrated farmers are seriously considering giving up their living, according to Han Doh-sook, chairman of the National Farmer's Convention, unless the government takes more responsibility for the problems caused by rice production far surpassing local demand. The output for 2009 reached 4.9 million tons, due to exceptionally good weather, according the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Protesters demanded an adjustment in rice prices to ensure minimum production costs.

They called on the government and the ruling party to stop "neglecting the plight of our farmers," and demanded that the buying prices be set at 210,000 won. They also demanded the government purchase the autumn harvest and for the creation of legislation obligating it to continue sending rice to North Korea as aid.

A total of 13 farmers' organizations, including the Korea Peasant League (KPL), hosted the convention in cooperation with opposition lawmakers, including Democratic Party Chairman Chung Sye-kyun and Democratic Labor Party Chairman Kang Ki-kap. Demonstrations took place at various locations in Seoul, Tuesday, with the police arresting 15 protesters for hampering traffic in the Gwanghwamun area.

An oversupply and declining consumption of the staple grain has seriously threatened the stability of rice farmers. The government recently announced a set of measures to boost the rice-processed food industry, but experts say such moves may not lead to significant changes in the short term.

Farmers in provincial areas, especially the nation's bread basket region of the Jeolla Provinces, have been at the forefront of the outcry for the stabilization of rice prices.

The regional chapter of the Korean Peasants League waged a protest earlier this month outside the South Jeolla provincial government office, displaying 30,000 straw bags of rice.

Piles of straw bags containing rice have appeared at demonstrations held in Gangwon and Gyeongsang Provinces as well.

The farmers criticized the authorities for "buying rice at prices that are significantly lower than production costs at a time when the increase of imported rice and the decrease in domestic consumption, compounded by a suspension of aid to North Korea, have caused rice prices to plummet in recent months."

jhdo@koreatimes.co.kr