Hampyeong County in Jeollanam-do announced on the 17th that it will implement a 'Whole Rice Plant Production Complex Pilot Project' to produce high-quality summer forage and establish a foundation for the implementation of the rice cultivation area adjustment system.
The whole rice plant pilot project is expected to align with the purpose of introducing the strategic crop direct payment system by producing high-quality forage, proactively address the issue of rice oversupply, and increase the income of both crop and livestock farmers.
Unlike conventional winter forage, whole rice plants can be harvested and processed quickly, resulting in higher yields. With increased unit prices for strategic crop direct payments, incentives, transportation support, and full purchase guarantees, farmers can expect an additional income of about 52,000 KRW per 200 pyeong compared to rice cultivation.
The county collected opinions through four meetings with stakeholders such as the administration, livestock cooperatives, and forage corporations to ensure high-quality forage production, manufacturing, and stable market channels. As a result, cultivation technology education such as dry direct seeding will be provided to whole rice plant farmers, forage corporations will handle high-quality forage manufacturing, and the livestock cooperative will be responsible for purchasing all whole rice plants.
In addition, to encourage the participation of rice farmers, the county plans to invest 750 million KRW in county funds to newly support production base incentives such as paddy drainage improvement, forage seed support, high-quality forage manufacturing, and transportation costs.
This year, the county aims to establish a 200-hectare whole rice plant production complex and is accelerating the project by accepting applications for both the strategic crop direct payment and paddy field crop conversion support. Applications can be submitted at the township offices where the farmland is located until the 14th of next month, and after implementation checks between June and August, incentives will be paid in November.
County Governor Lee Sangik said, "Through the whole rice plant production complex pilot project, we will supply high-quality forage to livestock farmers and contribute to increasing the income of crop farmers by stabilizing rice prices. We will do our best to ensure the successful implementation of the project."
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