Taean County Begins Accepting Applications for Basic Public Benefit Direct Payment

Non-face-to-face Applications in February,
On-site Submissions at Township Offices in March and April

Aerial view of Taean County Office, Chungnam. /Taean County

Taean County in Chungnam Province is now accepting applications for the 'Basic Public Direct Payment' program to help alleviate difficulties faced by local farmers.

Taean County announced on the 6th that applications for the public direct payment program will be accepted until April 30, starting with non-face-to-face applications in February, in order to stabilize the livelihoods of farmers suffering from rural aging, labor shortages, and falling rice prices.

The public direct payment is a subsidy provided to those who actually farm, regardless of land ownership, to enable farmers to create public value such as food safety, environmental conservation, and maintaining rural communities through agricultural activities.

The program is divided into the Small-Scale Farmer Direct Payment and the Area-Based Direct Payment. For the Small-Scale Farmer Direct Payment, applicants must meet all the following conditions: △farmland area of 0.5ha or less △ownership of farmland less than 1.55ha △engaged in farming for more than 3 years △resided in rural areas for more than 3 years △non-farming income of the recipient less than 20 million KRW △total non-farming income of all household members less than 45 million KRW. The payment amount is 1.3 million KRW per household.

The Area-Based Direct Payment is provided to farmers and agricultural corporations who do not qualify for the Small-Scale Farmer Direct Payment. A regressive rate applies, meaning the larger the area, the lower the payment per unit. The payment rate ranges from 1.36 to 2.15 million KRW per hectare.

After non-face-to-face (online) applications are accepted throughout February, on-site applications can be submitted at the township offices where the farmland is located from March to April. Those eligible for non-face-to-face application are farmers whose basic payment registration information from last year and agricultural business registration information for this year have not changed and who have passed the preliminary qualification check. If non-face-to-face application is not possible, farmers can visit the township offices in March or April.

A county official stated, "The public direct payment will be a great support for farmers who have been struggling due to the economic downturn, rural aging, and labor shortages," and added, "We hope all eligible farmers carefully review the compliance and precautions required for receiving the public direct payment and apply without omission."

Meanwhile, the county provided a total of 23.58333 billion KRW in basic public direct payments to 10,314 households last year.