Jeongeup-si "Apply for the Basic Public Interest Direct Payment"

[Jeongeup=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Jaegil] Jeongeup City, Jeonbuk Province, has started accepting online applications for the Basic Public Interest Direct Payment this year.

According to the city on the 16th, the Basic Public Interest Direct Payment project is a program that provides direct payments to farmers who meet certain qualifications set by the "Agriculture and Rural Public Interest Direct Payment Act" to stabilize farmers' income and promote the public interest functions of agriculture and rural areas.

Starting this year, considering the increased demand for non-face-to-face applications due to COVID-19, online applications are being accepted until next month 1st for farmers whose public interest direct payment registration information from last year matches their agricultural management entity registration information for this year.

Online applications proceed by accessing the application site, then personal authentication → consent to provide personal information → verification of eligible farmers and farmland → confirmation of expected payment amount and application in sequence.

The information submitted by farmers is transmitted to the Agricultural Project Information System (Agrix), and when the township/myeon/dong public officials receive it, a confirmation text message is sent to the applicant.

Applications in person at township/myeon/dong offices will be accepted from next month 4th to May 31st.

The Basic Public Interest Direct Payment is divided into small-scale farmer direct payments and area direct payments. Small-scale farmer direct payments provide 1.2 million KRW annually if all seven payment conditions, such as cultivation area of 0.5ha or less and ownership area less than 1.55ha, are met.

Area direct payments classify farmland area into three stages: "Agricultural Promotion Area, Non-promotion Area Paddy Field, Non-promotion Area Dry Field," and pay between 1 million to 2.05 million KRW per hectare.

Eligible farmland must meet the farmland requirements for previous rice, dry field, and disadvantaged condition direct payments and must have received the corresponding direct payment at least once during the three years from 2017 to 2019.

However, farmland that has been converted, disposed of, occupied without permission, farmland with expired lease contracts, or farmland owned by restricted registrants are excluded.

If eligible farmland is dispersed across multiple townships/myeon/dongs, the application should be submitted to the township/myeon/dong with the largest farmland area.

Since the public interest direct payment is a subsidy paid to the actual cultivator, applicants must exclude areas not directly used for agriculture such as gravesites, building sites, parking lots, and gardens from the farmland they personally cultivate.

This year, some compliance requirements have changed, and failure to comply may result in a reduction of 5-10% of the total direct payment amount, so caution is required.

Among the 17 compliance items such as maintaining farmland shape and function, safe use of pesticides, and adherence to residue tolerance standards, which were exempt from reduction until last year, four items including mandatory education completion, farm waste management, participation in village community activities, and preparation and storage of farming diaries will be applied starting this year.

A city official said, "Since non-face-to-face applications will be operated along with in-person submissions from this year, farmers can apply conveniently. Please apply for the farmland you actually cultivate within the application period and faithfully comply with the requirements to avoid reduction of direct payments."

Jeongeup=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Jaegil gjg7070@asiae.co.kr

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