Arable land in S. Korea shrinks 1.3 pct in 2008

SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's arable land declined 1.3 percent in 2008
as more farming land was used to build apartments, roads and other facilities, a
government report showed Thursday.
According to the report by the National Statistic Office, total arable land size
amounted to 1.76 million hectares at the end of last year, compared with 1.78
million hectares a year earlier.
The decline is larger than the annual average of 0.8 percent during the past 10
years as more land was purchased for development in and around newly-designated
urban areas, the report showed.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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