Per capita rice consumption in South Korea hit a record low in 2014 as people opted for other types of grain products, data showed Tuesday.

The average annual consumption of rice per person fell to 65.1 kilograms last year, down 3.1 percent from the previous year's 67.2 kg, according to the data by Statistics Korea.

This marked the lowest level since related recordkeeping started in 1963, when consumption was 105.5 kg. Compared with 1970 when consumption hit a record high of 136.4 kg, rice intake has fallen by more than 50 percent. Daily rice consumption per person also dropped to 178.2 grams last year from 184 g the year before, the data showed.

"People tended to reduce rice consumption and diversify their diets with other alternatives," a statistics agency official said.

Reflecting this, consumption of non-rice grain, including beans and corn, rose to 8.7 kg in 2014 from 8.1 kg from the year before.

Compared with urban households, people who live in rural areas ate more rice, although even this figure declined. On average, a member of a farming household consumed 104.7 kg of rice last year, down 3 percent from 2013.

Rice used by food and beverage manufacturers, on the other hand, rose 1.7 percent on-year to 534,999 tons, mainly due to an increase in demand for beverages and sauce, data showed. (Yonhap)