Ruling Party Requests 1,000 Won School Meal Expansion to "Help Rice Consumption" in Grain Act Talks

Request for Reconsideration of Grain Management Act on the 6th
Follow-up Measures Meeting Among People, Party, and Government

The People Power Party has requested the government to expand the 1,000 won school meal program to all universities in order to increase rice consumption.

On the afternoon of the 6th, Park Dae-chul, the Policy Committee Chair of the People Power Party, stated in a briefing immediately after the private-party-government meeting on follow-up measures related to the re-request of the Grain Management Act at the National Assembly, "The 1,000 won breakfast helps not only with young people's meal issues but also with expanding rice consumption," and added, "We have requested that the program be expanded to all 363 universities with 2.64 million students and that it be reflected in next year's budget at the latest."

In response, Jeong Hwang-geun, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, reportedly said, "We will find an implementation plan," according to Chair Park.

Earlier last month, the government and ruling party agreed to increase the budget for the 1,000 won breakfast support from 728 million won to 1.577 billion won and to expand participating universities from 41 to 66. Through this party-government meeting, they plan to further expand the 1,000 won school meal program to all 264 universities.

At the meeting, the government reported on ▲ measures to stabilize supply and demand to keep the price of one sack of rice (80kg) at around 200,000 won ▲ expanding the agricultural direct payment budget to over 3 trillion won next year and to about 5 trillion won by 2027 ▲ the strategic crop direct payment system (covering 16,000 hectares of rice flour, soybeans, etc.) as part of the 'Rice Supply-Demand Stabilization, Direct Payment Expansion, and Agricultural and Rural Development Plan.'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At this meeting, the People Power Party additionally requested that the area eligible for direct payments for strategic crops such as rice flour and soybeans be doubled. Chair Park said, "Under the recognition that the expansion of rice flour under the strategic crop direct payment system related to the reduction of rice cultivation area has a significant effect in rural areas, it is necessary to gradually increase the current target area of 16,000 hectares by more than double, and we ask for this part to be enforced."

The strategic crop direct payment system introduced this year has a budget of 112.1 billion won and supports farmers cultivating soybeans, rice flour, and summer forage on paddy fields with 1 to 4.3 million won per hectare, aiming to reduce rice cultivation area by 16,000 hectares.

Chair Park also conveyed, "In addition, the farmers' organizations attending today requested measures to stabilize rice prices, preserve farm income, stabilize supply and demand, and asked to advance the five-year plan for direct payments." Opinions on expanding support in the livestock sector and promoting rice flour were also presented at the meeting.

Meanwhile, after the meeting, Chair Park told reporters regarding bills expected to be directly referred such as the Yellow Envelope Act and the Broadcasting Act, "The legislative dominance of the major opposition party, which harms the future of our country and is out of touch with the common sense of the people, will never succeed," and emphasized, "As seen in the Grain Management Act, proposals that are unacceptable not only from the perspective of our People Power Party but also from the future of our country and the common sense of the people will never be enforced under any circumstances."

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