Improvement of Permissible Tasks for Public Seasonal Foreign Workers
Jeonnam Province will implement various support policies in the agricultural sector this year. Photo shows a cherry tomato farm. Provided by Jeonnam Province.
Jeollanam-do is providing guidance and supervision on this year's changes in agricultural policies and systems, with key points including the expansion of eligibility for the Women's Farmer and Fisher's Happiness Voucher and the broadening of permissible tasks for public seasonal foreign workers.
According to Jeollanam-do on the 14th, in response to social changes such as the aging average age of women farmers and fishers, the eligibility age for the Happiness Voucher has been raised from 75 to 80 years old starting this year. As a result, the number of beneficiaries has increased by about 16,000, reaching a total of approximately 107,500 women farmers and fishers.
The province will newly provide the "Rural House Call Bus" for residents in rural areas with insufficient medical facilities. By applying at city, county, or township offices, residents can receive free health and medical services such as Western and Korean medicine, checkups, and disease management.
The range of permissible tasks for public seasonal foreign workers has been expanded to include sorting, washing, and packaging of agricultural products at public operation sites (such as APCs), allowing for flexible reassignment to other tasks and continued salary payment when agricultural work is not possible due to weather conditions like heavy rain. The invitation of marriage immigrants within the fourth degree of kinship is now limited to siblings only, and the maximum number of hires has been reduced to 10.
The regulation excluding those with non-agricultural income exceeding 37 million won from eligibility for youth and successor farmer development loans has been abolished.
The support unit price for eco-friendly agriculture direct payments has been increased by 250,000 won per hectare, raising organic support to 950,000 won and pesticide-free support to 750,000 won. The unit price for continued organic support by item (rice paddies, vegetables, fruits) has also been raised by 120,000 to 140,000 won, resulting in increases from 350,000 to 570,000 won for rice paddies, 650,000 to 780,000 won for vegetables, and 700,000 to 840,000 won for fruits.
The support unit price for strategic crop direct payments for wheat has been raised from 500,000 won to 1 million won per hectare, and for forage crops from 4.3 million won to 5 million won. Additionally, the support unit price for small- and medium-sized smart farms has been increased from 300 million to 350 million won per facility, while the self-funding ratio was reduced from 40% to 25%, easing the financial burden on farmers.
To address the shortage of funds for reinforcing livestock manure composting facilities and purchasing equipment, the support limit for livestock manure compost maturation acceleration has been raised by 20 million won to 50 million won per facility. The scope of support for livestock farm quarantine facilities has been expanded to include items such as fogging disinfectors and CCTV. Accordingly, violations of quarantine standards, such as failure to comply with CCTV management obligations at poultry farms or moving livestock without inspection certificates, will now incur fines of 10 million won, an increase of 7 million won from the previous standard.
Other initiatives include: ▲Support for eco-friendly agricultural product packages for infants and young children (480,000 won per person) ▲Marketing support for farms certified for eco-friendly agricultural products ▲Expanded support for the development of the functional sericulture industry ▲Supply of pest traps for horticultural crops ▲Support for facilities to prevent livestock heat damage ▲Pilot support for improving the quality of life for Hanwoo farmers, among others.
Information on the systems and policies of Jeollanam-do that will change in 2025 can be found on the Jeollanam-do Provincial Government website under Information Disclosure - Major Policies.
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