Fixing rice crisis

Bastion of food security should be kept by all means

For thousands of years, Korea has been an agrarian country. "Farmers formed the basis of national existence" until at least the 1960s.

The nation's rapid industrialization changed that.

Technological development increased rice production, but a Westernized diet reduced its consumption. Farmers sigh despite, or because of, bumper crops, worrying about falling prices.

Against this backdrop, President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed an opposition-led amendment to the Grain Management Act Tuesday. The bill calls for the government to buy excess rice if production exceeds estimated demand by 3-5 percent or prices fall by 5-8 percent from previous years.

Exercising his first veto power since taking office about a year ago, Yoon labeled it "a typical populist bill, which is of no help to farmers or the farming industry." The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which railroaded the bill weeks ago, denounced Yoon in front of the presidential office. It vows to stage a national rally along with farmers.

However, rice farming ? and food security ? are too crucial issues to be wasted as additional subjects of partisan strife. The president and his People Power Party (PPP) say they have better ideas for farmers and farming. If so, there is no reason for the rival parties to meet to seek a compromise or come up with a new bipartisan bill. And the governing party should have taken such an initiative instead of letting things aggravate like now.

In economic logic alone, Yoon and the PPP are not wrong.

The government's compulsory purchase of surplus produces will likely encourage rice farmers to maintain or increase output, even inducing new ones to jump into mechanized and relatively easy rice farming. That will pull down prices further and lead to more purchases with taxpayer money in a vicious circle. The government should spend its budget better by, for instance, investing in alternative crops or "smart farming," they said.

However, these allegations are missing at least two points.

First, countries do not approach the food security issue from economic theories. The United States and Japan put food security and grain self-sufficiency at the top of the national agenda. Korea's grain self-sufficiency ratio was 19.3 percent in 2020, the lowest in 38 OECD nations. The comparable ratios of France, Canada, and Germany exceeded 100 percent. Even Korea's rice self-sufficiency ratio was 92.8 percent and has since hovered below 100. Wheat and corn remained at a paltry 0.8 percent and 1.1 percent. Korea depends on imports for most grains.

Second, the Yoon administration has yet to do anything to bolster farm prices, including rice and cattle. The same government once sought to buy unsold apartments to bolster the construction industry. Why not pay even a part of such attention to rice growers?

Diversification of crops is good but takes vast investment. We have not heard of any plan from this government for agricultural innovation. Yoon talks about young aspiring farmers entering rural areas to change the atmosphere and start high-yielding farming. In reality, however, few youngsters will jump into the agricultural business, watching the existing ones languish amid political leaders and policymakers' total lack of interest.

Rice farming faces a crisis worldwide due to climate and health concerns. It aggravates the environment because of excessive fertilizers and water consumption, causing diabetes and obesity.

However, the conversion to other grains will remain unthinkable in Korea. Farmers account for 4.7 percent of the population. Still, they are a powerful constituency, given many urbanites' "spiritual homes" are still farming villages. The U.S. has rust belts, and Korea has "rice belts." Koreans still get a quarter of their calories from rice. Korea could be free from the wheat crisis amid the Ukrainian conflict, as its staple was rice.

Political parties should and can supplement the bill by restricting rice farming areas. Most advanced countries know that staple grain is the last thing that can be substituted by import. Korean political leaders must also learn it.

Source: Yonhap News Agency