Damyang-gun Recruiting Candidates for 'Return-to-Farming Agricultural Startup and Housing Purchase Support Project'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] Damyang County, Jeonnam (County Governor Choi Hyung-sik) announced on the 1st that it will recruit candidates for the ‘Return-to-Farming Agricultural Startup and Housing Purchase Support Project’ from the 1st to the 10th of next month.

This project offers a 2% interest rate, with up to 300 million KRW per household for agricultural startups and up to 75 million KRW per household for housing purchases, and is a secondary support project with a 5-year grace period and 10 years of equal installment repayment.

Eligible candidates are household heads aged 65 or younger, who have moved to rural areas, having lived for more than one year outside rural areas and moved to rural areas within the last 5 years, returnees to farming, and those residing in Damyang who are engaged or planning to engage in agriculture, having completed more than 100 hours of return-to-farming and farming education.

From July this year, those who have lived in rural areas for more than one year and have not engaged in agriculture within 5 years as of the application date (non-agricultural residents in rural areas) can also apply for agricultural startup support within 20% of the project budget.

However, those who have full-time jobs in industries other than agriculture or hold business registration certificates in industries other than agriculture (business registrations under their own name for producing agricultural and livestock products on their farming base, or businesses related to selling, processing, or services, experiences, and sales utilizing those products are allowed) are not eligible for support.

Applications are accepted at the local town or township offices of the applicant’s address, and an in-depth interview evaluation by the Return-to-Farming and Rural Revitalization Committee will be conducted on the 22nd of next month, with priority support given in order of highest scores.

A county official said, “We hope this opportunity for return-to-farming startup and housing funds will help returnees to farming settle stably in agriculture and rural areas,” and added, “We ask for the interest and applications of many returnees to farming in the county.”