Naju-si to Accept Applications for 'Public Interest Direct Payment System' Starting Next Month 1st

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] Naju City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Kang In-gyu) announced on the 23rd that it will accept applications for the newly restructured Public Interest Direct Payment System starting from next month 1st until June 30th this year to strengthen the public interest functions of agriculture.

Unlike the existing direct payment system which paid differentially based on cultivated crops and field area, the restructured Public Interest Direct Payment System is largely divided into Small-scale Farmer Direct Payment and Area-based Direct Payment.

The Small-scale Farmer Direct Payment is a fixed amount paid regardless of area, while the Area-based Direct Payment lowers the payment unit price per section as the farmland area increases.

Through this, it is expected that the transition of agricultural policy centered on rice, income stabilization for small and medium-sized farms, and equity among farms will be greatly enhanced.

Eligible applicants include agricultural corporations and farmers who have registered agricultural management information, those who have received direct payments at least once from 2016 to last year, full-time farmers, successor agricultural managers, farmers selected as full-time farmer development targets, and agricultural management entities qualified for new applications.

The farmland eligible for payment must be ▲ farmland used for paddy agriculture from 1998 to 2000 ▲ farmland used for agriculture in disadvantaged areas from 2003 to 2005 ▲ farmland used for dry field agriculture from 2012 to 2014, and must have received direct payments properly at least once during the three years from 2017 to last year.

In particular, the newly established "Small-scale Farmer Direct Payment" in the basic Public Interest Direct Payment System pays 1.2 million KRW annually regardless of area if all household members meet the payment requirements such as farming engagement period, rural residence period, and off-farm income.

The "Area-based Direct Payment" is differentiated into three sections with unit prices ranging from 1 million to 2.05 million KRW depending on the location in promotion areas and cultivated area (hectares), divided into paddy and dry fields within agricultural promotion areas and those outside.

The basic Public Interest Direct Payment System plans to finalize payment recipients in December after checking compliance with obligations such as adherence to chemical fertilizer usage standards, proper disposal of farming waste, and completion of public interest promotion education following application submission.

Applications for direct payments can be submitted by visiting the administrative welfare centers in the towns, townships, and neighborhoods where the farmland is located.

A city official said, “We will make efforts to promote and educate at the town and township level so that farmers fully understand the newly restructured Public Interest Direct Payment System starting this year and to ensure the stable establishment of the system.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.