Bolder Steps Needed to Promote Staple Food Consumption

It has been often said that miniskirts are all the go in times of economic downturns. However, there has been little sign of a fad in miniskirts since the outbreak of the unprecedented global economic crisis. On the other hand, consumers are undergoing some changes in their behavioral patterns: they tend to seek solace in sweets during economic slumps.

According to Shinsegae E-mart, the nation's largest discount store chain, instant coffee topped the list of bestselling items in the first 11 months of this year. The three-in-one coffee mix, a steady selling sachet of coffee powder, creamer and sugar, saw its sales rise 6.8 percent to 140 billion won ($120 million) from a year before, moving two notches up to the No. 1 spot. It marks the first time that coffee mix has edged out rice, which has long been the bestselling item.

Unquestionably, the ascendance of coffee mix reflects changing diet patterns. South Koreans eat more Western-style foods. Many South Koreans, especially young office workers, usually have bread and coffee for breakfast, instead of rice and kimchi. They also enjoy instant noodles and fast foods. E-mart said the sales ranking of instant noodles remained in second place.

As a result, consumption of rice has continued to decrease over the past decades. Per-capita annual consumption of rice stood at 106.5 kg in 1996, but it soon fell below the 100-kg mark in 1998. The figure nose-dived to 75.8 kg last year. E-Mart said its sales of rice dropped 4.5 percent to 105,000 tons during the January-November period from a year earlier.

In conclusion, rice is losing its ground as the nation's traditional staple food since a large number of people are growing accustomed to Western-style dietary habits. This is an unavoidable phenomenon stemming from socioeconomic and cultural transformation in the wake of rapid industrialization and urbanization over the last 30 to 40 years. It is inevitable to see a further fall in rice consumption.

More worrisome is that the nation's rice farming sector is doomed to collapse due to the oversupply of rice and its plunging price. According to official statistics, the nation's rice harvest hit an all-time high of 4.91 million tons this year. Regrettably, the bountiful harvest is not a source of rejoicing but a cause of anger and protest as rice prices have plunged.

The situation is getting worse as the country has to bring in 300,000 tons of foreign rice as part of the mandatory import quota under a global trade deal designed to delay the liberalization of the local rice market. The quota is to surge to 400,000 tons in 2014. Some experts call on the government to scrap the quota and open the market to foreign competition to reduce soaring rice surplus and stabilize its prices.

The Lee Myung-bak administration has already unveiled measures to promote rice consumption. However, they are not sufficient to boost rice consumption and prop up the prices. We do not forget that rice cultivation is directly linked to food security. Thus, it is urgent to find a fundamental solution to the problem.