[Changes in the New Year] Reducing Rice Cultivation Area by 80,000 ha and Strengthening Strategic Crop Direct Payments... "Aiming to Resolve Rice Oversupply"

Major Changes in Agricultural and Food Sector Policies in 2025
'Rice Cultivation Area Adjustment System' to be Implemented for the First Time in 2025
Increase in Direct Payment Rates for 'Winter Wheat and Summer Forage'

The government will implement the 'Rice Cultivation Area Adjustment System' for the first time next year, aiming to reduce rice paddy cultivation area by 80,000 hectares to resolve the structural oversupply in the rice industry.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 31st that it has published the booklet 'Changes from 2025' in cooperation with related ministries.

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First, to resolve the structural oversupply in the rice industry, stabilize rice prices, and increase farmers' income, the Rice Cultivation Area Adjustment System will be implemented for the first time in 2025.

The Ministry plans to promote the adjustment system next year with a target reduction of 80,000 hectares. The system will be applied to all rice farming households in 2025.

The adjustment system's basic principle is area reduction per farm through strategic crops, landscape crops, fallow land, and crop switching. However, considering the purpose of reduction and ease of implementation, various implementation methods such as trading of reduction areas between farms will be explored and recognized as fulfilling the reduction obligation.

After implementing the cultivation area adjustment, farmers must submit proof of implementation to the local township or town office where their farmland is located. Compliance will be verified through a monitoring system linked with satellite images and on-site inspections. Farmers who comply with the reduction will be given priority allocation of public rice reserves, while those who do not comply will be excluded from public rice reserve allocation.

An official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said, "Through this, the problem of oversupply of rice will be resolved, and the recurring instability of rice prices every year is expected to improve." He added, "In addition, to provide high-quality rice to the public, we plan to simultaneously promote the expansion of eco-friendly rice cultivation and improvements to the grain labeling system alongside the reduction of rice cultivation area."

Additionally, from next year, the list of crops eligible for strategic crop direct payments will be expanded, and the payment rates will be increased. To stabilize rice supply and demand, the government supports direct payments by designating strategic crops for winter and summer seasons that can replace rice for cooking. Until now, winter food and feed crops such as wheat and barley have received 500,000 KRW per hectare, summer forage crops 4.3 million KRW per hectare, corn 1 million KRW, and legumes and glutinous rice 2 million KRW per hectare.

From next year, 'sesame (both cham sesame and deulkkae)' will be newly added to the existing summer crops of legumes, glutinous rice, corn, and forage crops. A payment of 1 million KRW per hectare will be provided. Among winter crops, the direct payment for wheat will increase from 500,000 KRW to 1 million KRW per hectare, and for summer forage crops, from 4.3 million KRW to 5 million KRW per hectare.

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