Eco-friendly Agriculture Direct Payment Rates Raised for the First Time in 7 Years... 250,000 KRW/ha Increase for Paddy Fields

Next Year's Government Budget Proposal Increases by 40% to 31.9 Billion Won

The government is striving to expand eco-friendly agriculture to achieve carbon neutrality and strengthen environmental conservation. In this process, the unit price for eco-friendly agricultural direct payments will be raised for the first time in seven years, and the maximum payment area per farm will be expanded next year.

Jindo County won the Eco-friendly Agriculture Award hosted by Jeollanam-do.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 26th that the related budget for next year has been set at 31.9 billion won, an increase of about 40% compared to this year’s 22.8 billion won, to promote such projects.

The Ministry plans to increase the paddy field unit price by 250,000 won/ha next year based on the government proposal to increase eco-friendly rice production and induce appropriate rice production. The organic paddy field unit price will rise 35.7% from 700,000 won/ha this year to 950,000 won/ha next year, and the pesticide-free paddy field unit price will increase 50.0% from 500,000 won/ha to 750,000 won/ha.

The unit price for organic continuation, which can be received without time limits by farms with more than six years of organic certification, will also be increased. This year, the organic continuation unit price was about 50% of the organic unit price, but next year it will be raised to about 60% of the organic unit price. For paddy fields, it will increase by 62.9% (from 350,000 to 570,000 won/ha), for fields by 20.0% (from 650,000 to 780,000 won/ha), and for orchards by 20.0% (from 700,000 to 840,000 won/ha).

The Ministry explained, "Due to recent intensification of abnormal climate and rising prices of agricultural materials, the area certified as eco-friendly has been decreasing," adding, "This increase in the organic continuation unit price is expected to help eco-friendly farms continue organic farming."

The support unit price for farms in the organic conversion period, which do not use any synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilizers during the organic certification process, will also increase. The unit price will rise by about 200,000 won/ha from the current pesticide-free (cultivation with no synthetic pesticides and minimal use of chemical fertilizers) unit price to the organic (cultivation without any synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or other chemical materials) unit price next year.

Separately, the Ministry plans to expand the maximum payment area for eco-friendly agricultural direct payments per farm from the current 5 ha to 30 ha next year, which is the level of other direct payments. They plan to enhance competitiveness by promoting the scaling up and collectivization of eco-friendly agriculture.

Lee Sang-man, Director of Agricultural Innovation Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "Eco-friendly agriculture is a future-oriented agriculture that achieves carbon neutrality and forms a healthy ecosystem to sustain agriculture," adding, "We plan to strengthen overall support for eco-friendly agriculture so that eco-friendly farms can produce safe agricultural products."