The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is working to draft industrial standardization for foods made of rice flour.
 
The measure is part of the government’s efforts to find another way to boost the consumption of rice amid its fast decreasing domestic demand in recent years.
 
Around one-point-seven million tons of rice was left unconsumed in South Korea as of the end of last year, but the country is still importing 400-thousand tons of rice every year under its international obligation regarding the opening of the rice market.
 
Rice flour is emerging as an alternative way of consuming rice for the country with its domestic market quickly growing by 40 percent from 50 billion won in 2011 to 70 billion won last year.
 
To further foster the rice flour industry, the ministry plans to come up with Korean Standards(KS) for related foods.