Nationwide Implementation of Agricultural Food Vouchers for Vulnerable Groups... Support Amount Expanded to 1 Million KRW per Year

For Households Receiving Livelihood Benefits
with Pregnant Women, Infants, or Children Under 18

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 20th that it will expand the agricultural and food voucher program nationwide to support the purchase of fresh agricultural products for vulnerable groups, aiming to promote balanced food intake and expand the foundation for sustainable agricultural and food consumption among these groups.

This month, napa cabbages and radishes are displayed at the Hanaro Mart Yangjae branch in Seocho-gu, Seoul.

Since launching the pilot agricultural and food voucher program in 2020, the Ministry has increased the number of beneficiaries each year, supporting 710,000 households across 71 cities, counties, and districts over five years. Starting this year, the program will be expanded nationwide. Eligible recipients include households receiving livelihood benefits (with a standard median income of 32% or less) that have pregnant women, infants, or children under 18 years old.

The Ministry will increase the support amount and extend the duration this year. For a four-person household, the support amount will rise from 80,000 KRW to 100,000 KRW per month, and the period will be extended from 6 months to 10 months. Consequently, the maximum annual support for a four-person household will increase from 480,000 KRW (80,000 KRW × 6 months) to 1,000,000 KRW (100,000 KRW × 10 months).

Voucher-using households can purchase domestic vegetables, fruits, meat, fresh eggs, white milk, mixed grains, and tofu products at designated locations using the agricultural and food voucher card. This year’s voucher usage locations include large supermarkets (Nonghyup Hanaro Mart, GS The Fresh, etc.), convenience stores (GS25, CU, etc.), and small to medium-sized marts (Oasis, etc.). The final list of usage locations will be announced at the end of this month.

To enhance user convenience, the Ministry will also establish an integrated agricultural and food voucher platform, diversifying application channels to include not only in-person visits but also online and telephone applications. Application documents will be simplified through administrative information linkage. This is the result of active collaboration with related agencies such as the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (the dedicated agency) will hold local government briefing sessions starting on the 20th to ensure smooth program implementation. Eligible households can apply from the 17th of next month through town, township, and neighborhood administrative welfare centers, as well as the agricultural and food voucher website.

Professor Lim Jeong-bin of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Sociology at Seoul National University said, "We welcome the nationwide expansion of the agricultural and food voucher program. To strengthen balanced food accessibility for various vulnerable groups and to support farm economies facing difficulties due to agricultural market liberalization and climate change, continuous efforts to expand the program are necessary."

Park Soon-yeon, Director of Distribution and Consumption Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, "The full-scale implementation of the agricultural and food voucher program marks a significant step in establishing a food safety net for vulnerable groups. As rising prices increase the food burden on these groups, we will strive to expand the support base so that many vulnerable households can secure stable and quality food."