Paju-si to Provide Direct Payments for Strategic Crops and Subsidies for Field Crop Development in 2024

Sequential Payments Starting from the 18th
Striving to Stabilize Farmers' Income

Paju City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Kim Kyung-il) announced on the 18th that it has confirmed 250 million KRW for strategic crop direct payments and 13 million KRW for field crop promotion project support funds this year, which will be sequentially paid to 192 farms.

Paju City Hall exterior. Provided by Paju City

The strategic crop direct payment system is a program introduced to strengthen food security and stabilize rice supply and demand. It provides direct payments to farmers who cultivate legumes, rice flour, edible corn, summer forage crops, and wheat using paddy fields.

The payment rates per hectare are 2 million KRW for legumes and rice flour, 1 million KRW for wheat and edible corn, and 4.3 million KRW for forage crops.

The field crop promotion project is a program promoted by Gyeonggi Province and Paju City that provides production support funds of 1 million KRW per hectare to farmers cultivating food crops such as wheat, legumes, and miscellaneous grains, excluding rice, using paddy fields. In particular, for wheat among field crops, support is provided regardless of whether the land is paddy or dry fields to maintain policy continuity.

These two projects can be supported simultaneously. Paju City accepted applications for these projects from February to June, verified farmland and farmer eligibility, and finalized the target farms.

The area receiving Paju City's strategic crop direct payments increased by 86 hectares compared to the previous year, with 124 new farms participating. This is mainly attributed to the government's rice price stabilization measures, increased consumer interest due to the branding of Paju Jangdan soybeans, and the expansion of crop conversion among rice-specialized farmers.

Lee Tae-seong, Director of Agricultural Policy, stated, “We will continue to promote projects for appropriate rice production and rice price stabilization,” and added, “We hope for farmers’ active interest and participation to improve the self-sufficiency rate of wheat and soybeans, stabilize rice supply and demand, and increase farmers’ income.”