Jinju-si, Early Payment of 17.6 Billion KRW for 2021 Basic Public Interest Direct Payment

Jinju City Hall Exterior View

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Jinju City announced that it will begin paying the 2021 Basic Public Interest Direct Payment to farmers starting from the 2nd.

This year, Jinju City's Basic Public Interest Direct Payment will be provided to 13,185 people and cover 8,195 hectares, with a total amount of 17.6 billion KRW. Now in its second year of implementation, the Public Interest Direct Payment system is designed to support farmers with subsidies to promote public benefits such as environmental conservation, maintenance of rural communities, and food security through agricultural activities.

The direct payments are divided into small-scale direct payments and area-based direct payments. Small-scale direct payments provide 1.2 million KRW annually to farms that meet certain eligibility criteria, such as cultivating between 1,000 and 5,000 square meters and residing in rural areas for more than three years. Area-based direct payments provide an average of 1.97 million KRW per hectare for farms cultivating more than 5,000 square meters based on the applied area.

To receive the Basic Public Interest Direct Payment, farmers must comply with 17 mandatory activities across five areas: environmental protection, ecological conservation, community revitalization, food safety, and institutional foundation. If compliance requirements such as maintaining farmland shape and appropriate use of chemical fertilizers are not met, the payment amount will be reduced accordingly for each violation.

A city official stated, "This year, farmers are facing difficulties due to labor shortages in rural areas caused by COVID-19 and rising prices of various agricultural materials," adding, "We hope that by paying the direct payments earlier than originally planned, it will help the farms."

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