Naju City to Distribute 9 Billion KRW in 'Farmer and Fisherman Public Interest Allowance'

Naju City in Jeollanam-do plans to pay 9 billion KRW in public interest allowances to local farmers and fishermen this year.

The city announced on the 15th that it will accept applications for the 2024 public interest allowance for farmers and fishermen at the administrative welfare centers in the towns, townships, and neighborhoods of the registered addresses until the 23rd of next month.

The public interest allowance for farmers and fishermen is a system introduced by Jeollanam-do and local governments in the province since 2020 to address rural issues such as population decline and aging, and to promote sustainable agricultural and fishery development.

The allowance of 600,000 KRW is paid in full as local currency, the Naju Sarang Gift Certificate. In addition to paper gift certificates, charging the Naju Sarang Card is also possible.

After the application deadline, the city plans to pay the allowance in April following procedures such as verification by the Public Interest Allowance Committee.

Eligible applicants are heads of farming and fishing households registered in the agricultural and fishery management information system who have actually resided in Naju City and engaged in farming or fishing since before January 1, 2023.

However, those with comprehensive income of 37 million KRW or more outside of farming and fishing, those who have fraudulently received subsidies such as direct payments, public officials and employees of public institutions, those with disciplinary records under the Agricultural Land Act, Mountainous Area Management Act, Livestock Epidemic Prevention Act, or Fisheries Act, and those who have separated households while living with the head of the management entity are excluded.

A city official said, "Farmers and fishermen receiving welfare benefits such as basic livelihood security should carefully check before applying to ensure that their welfare benefits are not reduced or lost."

Meanwhile, Naju City paid 7.959 billion KRW to 13,265 farmers in the first year of the system's introduction, 8.139 billion KRW to 13,565 farmers in 2021, 8.425 billion KRW to 14,041 farmers in 2022, and 8.612 billion KRW to 14,354 farmers in 2023 as public interest allowances for farmers and fishermen.

Naju = Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Yukbong baekok@asiae.co.kr

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