Rice is a staple food here in South Korea, the country has developed many local varieties of rice.<br />But with some regions still cultivating foreign varieties of rice , the Korean government is pushing for further localization.<br />Park Se-young has more. <br /> Back in the 1970s, Korean rice varieties had a reputation for tasting inferior to Japanese rice.<br />Since then, the country has developed local varieties that taste good and are resistant to disease and pests.<br />Most farms nationwide have switched to these new local varieties, …with the exception of some regions.<br />Japanese rice varieties make up 64 percent of rice grown in Gyeonggi-do Province …and 35 percent in Chungcheongbuk-do Province, …even if their output is lower than the output of local varieties.<br />The rice plants fall over easily and are prone to disease and attacks from pests.<br /><br />"We have planted foreign varieties for a long time and they were purchased by the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and other agencies."<br /><br /> By putting forward a variety of Icheon rice called "Haedeul," the government is looking to phase out Japanese varieties from the region.<br />The variety, developed by Korean researchers in 2017, has strong stalks and is more resistant to disease and pests.<br />A panel of experts and consumers tasted it and gave the variety favorable feedback.<br /><br />"It's glutinous and chewy and has a nice texture in the mouth. It's tasty."<br /><br /> By increasing the supply of domestic rice varieties and developing a specialized production and distribution complex, …the Rural Development Administration looks to achieve 100 percent localization by 2022.<br />Park Se-young, Arirang News. <br />
