Hampyeong-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Lee Sangik) announced on the 14th that it will actively implement various support projects aimed at stabilizing rice supply and demand and increasing farmers' income, with a target of reducing rice cultivation area by 714.9 hectares.
The county will carry out a range of policies including the Strategic Crop Direct Payment Program (summer crops), Paddy Field Crop Diversification Support Project, Rice Cultivation Area Adjustment System, and the Pilot Project for Creating Whole Crop Rice Production Complexes. Through these measures, the county aims to resolve the structural oversupply problem and establish a sustainable agricultural foundation.
The 'Strategic Crop Direct Payment Program' is a system that provides direct payments to farmers who cultivate at least 1,000 square meters of summer strategic crops such as legumes, flour rice, and forage crops in paddy fields previously used for rice, in order to reduce rice cultivation area and increase self-sufficiency in other crops.
The support payment by item is as follows: summer forage crops (whole crop rice, sudangrass, etc.) 5 million KRW/ha; flour rice and legumes 2 million KRW/ha; corn and sesame 1 million KRW/ha; and an additional 1 million KRW/ha for double cropping summer legumes or flour rice on land where winter wheat or forage crops were grown.
The 'Paddy Field Crop Diversification Support Project' provides subsidies to farmers who grow other income crops such as edible corn, sesame, or sweet potatoes instead of rice. The support is 1 million KRW/ha for edible corn and sesame, 500,000 KRW/ha for summer forage crops, and 2 million KRW/ha for other crops.
In addition, participating farmers who apply for both the Rice Cultivation Area Adjustment System and other programs will receive benefits such as priority allocation of public rice reserves, maximizing the effect of reducing rice cultivation area.
The county is also promoting the 'Pilot Project for Creating Whole Crop Rice Production Complexes' to produce high-quality forage crops in conjunction with the rice cultivation area adjustment system. Currently, 133 hectares of whole crop rice cultivation area have been secured, and efforts are being made to expand the area of summer forage crop cultivation.
Farmers participating in the whole crop rice project will receive various benefits such as increased direct payment rates for strategic crops, incentive payments, transportation cost support, and full purchase of crops. This is expected to provide an additional income of about 552,000 KRW per 200 pyeong, and contribute to income improvement for both crop and livestock farmers.
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