Gyeonggi Province to Provide up to 500 Million Won to Producer Organizations Planting "Regional Specialty Crops" in Rice Paddies

The Gyeonggi Provincial Government will launch a new “Regional Specialty Crop Promotion Project” to support farming organizations that plant regional specialty crops in rice paddies by providing them with agricultural machinery and equipment.

This project aims to boost farmers’ incomes by intensively cultivating specialty crops suited to each region’s conditions, while also addressing the issue of rice oversupply. In particular, the plan goes beyond simple crop conversion, seeking to establish a cooperative farming system led by producer organizations. This is intended to move away from individual farm-based production and build a sustainable production foundation.

Eligible recipients include producer organizations, such as agricultural cooperatives and agricultural corporations, that jointly cultivate crops to replace rice and meet certain requirements. Participating farmland must utilize actual rice paddy fields.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Government will focus on providing agricultural machinery and equipment necessary for the production and management of regional specialty crops. Support is premised on cooperative farming, rather than individual farms, with a total budget of 2 billion won, and up to 500 million won provided per organization.

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

Furthermore, in order to maximize the effectiveness of the policy, the government will exclude overlapping support for summer crops that are already eligible for the national strategic crop subsidy program. Instead, the project will focus on regional specialty crops such as peony, potato, and sweet potato, as well as perennial crops, through a strategy of selection and concentration. In addition, the government plans to improve the agricultural structure by encouraging participation from young and female farmers and awarding additional evaluation points based on the scale of cooperative farming.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Government will accept applications from city and county governments until May 8, 2026. After confirming the list of participants in May, the project will begin in earnest. Taking the farming season into consideration, the project aims to be completed within the year.

Paek Jongmin, Director-General of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government’s Bureau of Agricultural, Fisheries, and Life Sciences, said, “Promoting regional specialty crops is an important policy that goes beyond simply adjusting rice cultivation areas; it is vital to improving the structure of agriculture. We will enhance the competitiveness of agriculture and build a sustainable agricultural system by expanding the cooperative farming base and providing stable income models.”

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