Public Interest Direct Payments Application Opens April 1... "Support Only for Actual Cultivators"

Ministry of Agriculture Strengthens On-Site Inspections to Identify "Fake Farmers" and Others

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The government announced on the 23rd that it will accept applications for the Public Interest Direct Payment for farmers from next month 1st to May 31st. To filter out so-called 'fake farmers' and provide direct payments only for farmland actually cultivated by farmers, on-site inspections will be strengthened. The Public Interest Direct Payment system is a program that supports farmers with subsidies to promote public interest functions such as environmental conservation, maintenance of rural communities, and food safety through agricultural activities.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to conduct preliminary verification from the application stage and strengthen on-site inspections after application to screen out 'fake farmers' and others.

The direct payments consist of small-scale direct payments and area-based direct payments. To apply for the small-scale direct payment, which is paid per farm unit, applicants must submit a resident registration certificate and a family relation certificate to verify the information of farm members. Starting this year, a verification system will be established based on agricultural management information, last year's direct payment information, resident registration, land use, and other administrative information. Through this, a significant portion of eligibility requirements for farmland, farmers, and small-scale farms will be confirmed at the application and reception stage. A Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs official said, "Applicants must apply only for farmland they actually cultivate, and exclude retired land areas where crops cannot be grown," adding, "If farmland is leased and cultivated, a lease contract or equivalent document must be submitted."

The Ministry plans to distribute the direct payment application form along with guidance materials on the main contents of the direct payment system. From next month 1st, a 'Project Management Team' will be formed together with city/provincial offices and the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service (NAQS) to monitor the application status and respond on-site. Applications will be accepted from next month 1st to May 31st, followed by eligibility verification and compliance inspections from July to September, and the final payment amount will be confirmed in October. The direct payments are planned to be disbursed by the end of the year. Park Sujin, Director of Food Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "We will do our best to ensure that the application and reception of the Public Interest Direct Payment proceed smoothly and that the Public Interest Direct Payment system, now in its second year of implementation, is firmly established in the field."

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