South Korea’s agriculture and forestry output edged up in 2014 from a year earlier, fueled by a solid gain in the livestock sector, government data showed Thursday.
Total production of the farm and forestry sector reached 47.29 trillion won (US$39.84 billion) last year, up 1.4 percent from the year before, according to the data by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
“Production of grains, vegetables, fruits and flowers backtracked in 2014 compared to the previous year, but such losses were offset by gains in livestock and forestry,” the ministry said.
A drop in agricultural production comes as less land was cultivated for various produce, which was directly linked to rapid aging of the rural population.
Output of key food crops, such as rice and barley, increased last year from the previous year, but there were sharp drops in beans, fruits and vegetables.
The ministry said livestock-related production shot up 15.7 percent to 18.87 trillion won, helped by higher market prices for beef, pork, milk and eggs. Forestry output, which accounted for 5 percent of all production, jumped 16.5 percent on-year to 2.37 trillion won last year, according to the data. (Yonhap)
