SEOUL. June 5: In a decision sure to anger farmers, the government said Wednesday it will buy 64.000 tons of foreign rice this year for direct human consumption, reports AP.

It will be the first time in 13 years that South Korea has imported its staple food, keeping a promise to the World Trade Organisation to open its rice and other farm markets.

It imported. 50.400 tons of rice last year, but the grain was used for processed foods such as liquor and did not compete directly with the type of rice grown by South Korean farmers.

This year, however, South Korea will import medium-and short-grain rice, its staple food, to meet its import quota, the Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry said.

The ministry said the decision was necessary because of the declining rice stockpile'. The imported rice will represent about 1.3 per cent'of South Korea's annual production of 4.75 million tons.

Farmers have’staged often violent protests against rice imports in the past, saying their livelihood was threatened.

About one-sixth of South Korea's 44 million people are farmers and rice is the coun try's No 1 crop. Because of government subsidies, rice Crices are five to six times igher in Korea than in the United States and other countries.